Years before, I heard the name “Mahabir Pun,” though he was an ordinary Nepali guy. One day in the morning, before wake up from bed, I was randomly scrolling the Facebook news feed, and a video appears on my screen. The first playback melody of the video attracts my concentration, and that was the first-ever video I watched from start to end in my news feed till this date. And that video is about Mahabir Pun, and after that day, I know who Mahabir Pun is.
Before let you know what I have explored about Mahabir Pun, lets’ watch that video.
As you might know from the above video, Mahabir Pun is well known to people in Nepal and all Nepalese throughout the world for his extensive work in a rural area of Nepal in the field of Health, Education, and connecting the rural areas of Nepal by wireless internet technology. Mahabir was born in Nangi Village, in Myagdi District, which takes 7 hours hard climb to reach the bus stop.
Pun determination about the wireless technology where even a single telephone service was not present was unimaginable.
Pun’s father was British Gurkha Army; after his retirement, Pun’s family moved to the Southern Plain of Nepal. After completing high school, Pun starts to teach at school to support his brother’s and sister’s education. He taught at four different schools for 12 years. In 1989, Pun got a partial scholarship at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He graduated in 1996 with an undergraduate degree in Science and Education. After graduation, Pun return to his village Nangi which he left in his childhood 24 years ago. While he was living in the United States, Pun has recognized the power of information technology in the education system and the importance of the education system to transform the country’s development.
Thus, he founded the Himanchal High School, focusing on computer education and other programs with income generation capacity.
In 2001 Pun completed his graduate degree in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska.
On return to Nepal, Pun has campaigned to donate used computers from Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, and the United States. He installed those computers and starts to teach computer classes to students and fellow teachers.
Pun had connected so many remote villages of Nepal through wireless internet to other parts of the world.
Pun’s work on distance learning and online educational services constitutes the first attempt in Nepal to address the scarcity of qualified teachers through technology. He took steps to ensure the success and growth of his projects by arranging for other teachers to attend a computer training course in Pokhara, starting economic projects to fund students’ expenses and teachers’ salaries, and attracting hundreds of international volunteers with wide-ranging skills. He has since built a new cultural center and has developed communication links for yak farmers and new ventures to international trekking and tour groups. Therefore, he has succeeded in creating a self-sustaining educational system and a range of new economic and social enterprises to support remote communities.
National Innovation Center
Mahabir Pun led the initiative to register a Nonprofit named “Rashtriya Abiskar Kendra” in 2012, widely termed National Innovation Center in English. According to Mahabir, the primary objective of establishing the Innovation center is to foster research and developments for the country’s economic growth. Mahabir worked with the government to fund the project, which did not happen since July 2016. Mahabir is running a crowdfunding campaign to fund National Innovation efforts. According to the initiative, National Innovation Center’s crowdfunding campaign plans to build a 10MW hydropower station, which would sustainably fund its running cost. Mahabir has got social attraction with his donation of land for the National Innovation Center. The prime minister of Nepal, Prachanda, announced to hand NRS 15 million to National Innovation Center.
Mahabir Pun Recognition and Awards
In 2002, Pun was elected Ashoka Fellow by the Ashoka Foundation, the global association of leading social entrepreneurs.
Mahabir Pun was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame as an inductee in 2014.
In 2004, Pun received the Overall Social Innovations Award from the Global Ideas Bank, aka the Institute for Social Inventions.
In 2007, Pun was awarded the Magsaysay Award, considered by some to be the Nobel Prize of Asia, to recognize “his innovative application of wireless computer technology in Nepal, bringing progress to remote mountain areas by connecting his village to the global village.”
Later in 2007, the University of Nebraska awarded Pun an honorary degree as Doctor of Humane Letters for his outstanding work for his country, Nepal.
Later in 2007, the University of Nebraska awarded Pun an honorary degree as Doctor of Humane Letters for his outstanding work for his country, Nepal.
How to Support for National Innovation Center
If you want to donate to his work for the National Innovation center, below is the official website for donation.
http://www.nicnepal.org/view/#donationInfo
If you are abroad, you can donate to the National Innovation center through gofundme; below is the link to donate through gofundme
Connect with Manabir Pun
Connect through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mahabirnwp/
Connect through LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mahabir-pun/1a/1ab/312
Connect through Twitter: https://twitter.com/MahabirPun