ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2021
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. In 2021, over 25,000 young leaders on 2,000+ campuses across 153 nations applied to join the Class of 2021. 136 campuses worldwide (just 6%) were selected to host the 2,000+ Millennium Fellows. The Class of 2021 is bold, innovative, and inclusive.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT KUSUM KHATIWADA, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2021.
Kathmandu University | Dhulikhel, Nepal | Advancing SDG 13 & UNAI 9
" I believe that I can learn many things through this fellowship program. The skills I gain can definitely make an impact on certain fields. Motivation and determination are the fuels that motor the car of my career aspirations. The engine is still gone astray and that is what Millennium Fellowship will provide me with. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Project Udaya
Project Udaya is an approach to finding an effective solution to reduce carbon emissions from firewood. It mainly focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The major goal is creating a sustainable solution based on charcoal that can be produced without too much difficulty that ultimately will limit the use of firewood. This project encompasses two major modules: 1) Research, and 2) Training and awareness.
The research includes a better understanding of the amount of firewood used in any household of different villages, the problems generated by it, effective alternatives, and nature-oriented solutions. The major approach is to limit the practice of firewood and make use of forest resources without its depletion. On the other hand, the project also covers giving basic education and awareness to the people on the use of biomass and its effects on the environment. Therefore, the project focuses on identifying the root causes with the help of the survey and processing it with the most suitable solutions.
About the Millennium Fellow
Growing up, Kusum always loved maths, sciences, and computing. As a kid, she would spend hours on the internet trying to get the hang of something as vast as the universe. She still remembers saying that she wanted to become an Aeronautical Engineer when she was interviewed for the school magazine in 9th grade. And her desire to lengthen her knowledge and fervor to understand and build the world around her drove her to pursue my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at Kathmandu University. Kusum has been involved in different community-level programs since middle school. Throughout the years, she has successfully organized various programs, and even movements inclining towards social justice. She aspires to build up a women-friendly environment in STEM and also cultivate those advocacies further. She also hopes to contribute to the development of the United Nations' Sustainable Goals.
