Pratistha Koirala

DTP alumna Pratistha Koirala was working on children’s rights in her homeland of Nepal when she was selected as a DTP participant. Today, over ten years later, she is working on human rights and climate change in the Pacific.

Pratistha is now based in Canberra, working as Communications Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Australia. She has recently joined MSF, working part-time, where she is responsible for developing and implementing MSF’s communications and advocacy strategy for Kiribati.

In Nepal, Pratistha led strategic campaigns focusing on ending violence against children and fostering partnerships between government and community stakeholders. She has held multiple roles with NGOs, including World Vision and Nepalese government agencies. Her responsibilities ranged from leading an award-winning creative communications team to managing emergency communications and donor engagement.

Pratistha said the 2014 DTP training was a transformative experience for her.

“DTP gave me very good and much needed insights into human rights. The training offered a unique blend of theoretical insights and practical tools, which are often overlooked in the human rights sector.”

Reflecting on the DTP’s lasting influence, Pratistha credited DTP for empowering her and her fellow DTP alumni to spearhead initiatives such as child-led reporting mechanisms and children’s engagement in the UPR processes in Nepal.

“DTP was not just a training program but a stepping stone that significantly shaped my approach to human rights advocacy and policy engagement”.

Pratistha values the networking opportunity she garnered from the DTP training.

“DTP introduced me to diverse facilitators and participants, and by doing so it fostered a global network of human rights defenders. This network of human rights defenders later proved invaluable to me for collaboration during crises and advocacy efforts.”

Growing up in Nepal, Pratistha was influenced by her father, who is a prominent senior journalist, and her grandmother, a human rights activist who worked with conflict victims during Nepal’s civil war. This exposure shaped her understanding of the importance of raising voices for marginalized and less privileged communities.

Pratistha’s initial focus was on children, working with the Central Child Welfare Board in Nepal, where she managed child protection data and contributed to guidelines for protecting and supporting street children. Over subsequent years, she worked on initiatives addressing critical issues such as child marriage, child labor, gender inequality, and their interconnected impacts on nutrition and health. Issues of children and women remain close to her heart, which are expressed in her op-ed articles in various print media.

These experiences reflect her strong commitment to social justice and her ability to connect grassroots with policy-level advocacy.

Pratistha is looking forward to bringing this experience to her new role with MSF in the Pacific and Kiribati – where climate change is impacting communities and their right to a healthy and sustainable environment. She looks forward to working with communities and young people to influence policy on health and climate change.