#38 of 40

Yikes! I have been waiting to interview a woman who makes a difference in the lives of thousands of people in the spiritual community. She is a busy woman and has not had the opportunity to be interviewed. I have decided to blog about her at a later date and move forward with the remaining entries.
There are individuals who make a difference daily in the lives of others, some notice what needs to be done and they do it. Others notice what needs to be done and they enlist others to help them fix, or change, or contribute, to their vision. Anuradha Koirala is a woman who saw a wrong, set out to change it, and now has Demi Moore behind her. That is how taking only one step to correct, to contribute, to make a difference, works. Not everyone's path is to do global work. For many, changing family dynamics, contributing to a food pantry, or comforting an ailing sibling is the difference we are to make. The ripples of an action will spread to places you will never see and never know. What is important is to make a ripple. (How does one make a ripple? Dive in!)
Born in Nepal, and a former English teacher, Anuradha Koirala started Maiti Nepal in a small house in Kathmandu with her own savings. Today, she is a widely recognized activist and lecturer, who has dedicated her life to combating the sexual exploitation of women and children. Maiti Nepal is specifically dedicated to the sex trafficking of young (some as young as 7) girls. Ms. Koirala had little idea in 1993 that she would face dangers, abuse and threats as she set about the rehabilitation and support of girls who had been rescued from the sex slave industry and returned to Nepal. Maiti Nepal, meaning, mother's house, has been instrumental in setting up a place of respect for young women who may not be welcome in their homes.
Anuradha is described as a lioness as she protects whom she believes are her children. As she has said, “Each child, what's going to happen? What will happen to them? It really scares me, but then it gives me encouragement. I must do something. I must stop it.” Every girl is like her daughter, her child.
Maiti Nepal now has educational programs to prevent the trafficking - there are types of hostels along the way home, places of refuge where volunteers of Maiti Nepal watch for possible traffickers and offer a refuge to girls who may be additionally abused by border guards.
What was once a small home with one woman who saw a need and acted, is now a worldwide organization with volunteers dedicated to the ending of this terrible practice of forcing young girls into brothels against their will. Ms. Koirala has also set up a hospice center for those women who may be safely returned to their families but now face STDs and AIDS. One step, one decision has the potential to move mountains and change the world. One person matters, always.
Action Taken: Ms. Koirala stated it herself. She asked a question, "What will happen to them?" She then realized that someone must start to care, to come from hope and heart.
If you want to volunteer, send money or say thank you go to: http://www.friendsofmaitinepal.org/about-friends-of-maiti-nepal.php