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ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2022

United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. Over 31,000 young leaders on 2,400+ campuses across 140+ nations applied to join the Class of 2022.  200+ campuses worldwide (just 8%) were selected to host the 3,000+ Millennium Fellows.

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UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT MANIKA BUDHATHOKI, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2022.

Nepal Law Campus | Kathmandu, Nepal | Advancing SDG 16 & UNAI 3

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" I've always been eager to expand the parameters of my education. Studying in college didn't feel like I was doing something for my community. I wanted to get out there and actually apply my legal knowledge in society. Millennium Fellowship is providing me with this opportunity. I will use this platform as a start for the things that I want to achieve as a law student. "

Millennium Fellowship Project: Kanooni Bodh

"Kanooni Bodh", loosely translating into "knowledge or understanding (bodh) of the law (kanoon)", is a project on which the cohort will work collectively.
Through this project, we aim to equip laypersons with legal knowledge that is useful in daily life by assessing their specific needs in collaboration with local governmental bodies.
Since 2016, the Nepalese government has given local bodies the power to settle disputes through mediation. The Local Judicial Committee, in particular, has this ability. For this project, we will be working with the Judicial Committee of Sunkoshi Village to assess the needs of residents, and design awareness and training sessions accordingly.
The project will primarily focus on two actors in the village- the Judicial Committee and the residents.
Firstly, since the local committees are constituted by elected representatives who are not necessarily legal experts, we will be conducting training and informative sessions about relevant legal matters.
Secondly, we will identify prevalent legal issues submitted for mediation with the help of the committee, and design awareness sessions for residents- to nip the bud of legal disputes. Currently, we are looking into issues of marriage and divorce, property, special needs, land encroachment, and domestic violence.
We will further legal accessibility in the region using a need-based approach, through in-person awareness programs, and the dissemination of legal information through brochures. The impact of the project can be measured by observing the difference between the Judicial Committee and the residents' approach to relevant legal issues before and after the project.
Our objective, with this project and the collaboration with local personnel, is to provide continuity to the project even after the Fellowship ends.

About the Millennium Fellow

Monika Budhathoki is currently living in Kathmandu pursuing her bachelor's degree in law at the Nepal Law Campus. She was born in a small village in the Myagdi district of Nepal and migrated with her parents to Pokhara city for better academic opportunities. Growing up with such supportive parents, she never missed a chance to participate in different extra curriculum activities whether she has the expertise or not, which made her explore her abilities. Those experiences taught her to go out there and be the best version of herself.
Being the eldest among two daughters, she’s always had a sense of awareness about how society perceives women and realized the norms that the patriarchal values of society create for women. For that reason, she’s been actively participating in different advocacy programs for women’s rights. She’s a proud feminist.
She contemplates the lack of representation of indigenous women in educational platforms as well as advocacy institutions, which is why she is always longing for representing her community. She acknowledges the opportunities she’s provided with and wants to contribute the knowledge that she will gain in every way possible through her work. Being a law student has made her aware about her surroundings and give a hand for those who need help. She aspires to become a lawyer by helping those in need. This is why she wants to contribute her education and opportunity through United Nation’s Sustainable Goals.

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