Sirjana’s Stand for Equality Through Sport and Education
By Kate Lord, Director of Advocacy & Communications
Photos by Uma Bista
Sirjana grew up in a community in Western Nepal that didn’t expect much from girls like her. But what society failed to believe in, Sirjana dared to imagine. Today, she’s about to graduate from one of Nepal’s top universities—an accomplishment she earned while playing on the country’s national soccer team and producing women’s rights projects. Her story exemplifies what’s possible when a girl is believed in and, more importantly, when she believes in herself.
Sirjana’s journey began with hardship. “From my birth, I was nothing,” she says earnestly. Her father wanted a son, and when one never came, he eventually left the young family. Despite struggling with a mountain of debt left behind by her husband, Sirjana’s mother promised her girls: “Even if I wash dishes my whole life, I will send my daughters to school.” Her mother was the first to believe in her, and that belief became Sirjana’s inspiration.
When she was 10, Sirjana was accepted into Kopila Valley School after her family moved from Karnali to Surkhet. The school was in the first cohort of the She’s the First Partner Coalition, and Sirjana’s experience there changed her world. At Kopila, Sirjana discovered books, sports, confidence, and the radical idea that girls deserve equality.
“People used to say, ‘That family has four daughters, what shame.’ Now they call me brave. Now they send their daughters to play sports, too.”
From the Village to the World Stage
In her town, girls are often married by 16, as was Sirjana’s mother. Society has many rules for what girls cannot do. So when Kopila Valley School started the first-ever girls’ football team in Surkhet, Sirjana insisted on playing, even when neighbors scorned her for wearing shorts in public.
“I practiced before and after school: that meant I usually reached home late, which created a lot of gossip in my neighborhood. They talked behind my back and questioned my character for getting home late, but I shook off the criticism and kept my eyes on my dream.”
In 2020, she was selected for Nepal’s national women’s football team.
But Sirjana doesn’t play just for the goals. She plays to show other girls what’s possible. “People used to say, ‘That family has four daughters, what shame.’ Now they call me brave. Now they send their daughters to play sports, too.”
A New Kind of Role Model
“If I can change even one girl’s life,” she says, “that will be the biggest achievement of mine.”
In 2015, when she was 15, Sirjana and her classmates at Kopila Valley organized the first 5K race for gender equality in Surkhet, leading hundreds to run for girls’ rights. That experience, paired with attending a She's the First leadership summit in New York, deeply impacted her. She returned home determined to work for women’s equality in Nepal. She graduated at the top of her class and earned a scholarship to Kathmandu College of Management, a top university from which she’ll graduate in August with a degree in Business Administration.
But she knows she wants to keep working to create more opportunities for girls like her. “If I can change even one girl’s life,” she says, “that will be the biggest achievement of mine.”
Sirjana is a proud alum of She's the First’s leadership programs, using her platform to advocate for girls’ education and rights. She believes in looking back, even as she moves forward. “My story isn’t unique. It’s just what happens when girls and women get an education and a fair chance. They make their dreams come true.”
She’s the First—But Never the Last
Inspired by the 5K race she organized with her classmates in 2015, Sirjana imagined organizing another race to draw more attention to the fight for gender equality. For International Day of the Girl 2024, she organized another 5K—this time in Kathmandu, on a much bigger scale.
Sirjana orchestrated every detail of the Kathmandu event: from permits to promotion, from inviting politicians to coordinating media. She got her business school classmates involved and made it a campus-wide event. The event was a massive success with 150 runners, 50 cheerleaders, guest speakers, and cultural performances.
“Leading the Hult Prize KCM 5KM Race for Women’s Equality fills me with joy and pride,” Sirjana says. “Seeing the event’s success makes all the hard work worth it. Today, I feel fulfilled and inspired to continue advocating for equality in every step I take.”
Sirjana is creating a movement that others can replicate. “I learned from She's the First,” she says. Now, I want others to learn from us.”
Her dream? That other girls will see the race and know their voices matter. That other communities will start their own races, bringing attention to women’s and girls’ rights.
“My story isn’t unique. It’s just what happens when girls and women get an education and a fair chance. They make their dreams come true.”
What Comes Next
Sirjana graduates with her degree in Business Administration in August 2025. She’s interned with global agencies in the U.K., spoken on international stages, and has her sights on a master’s degree in Sports Management from Loughborough University in the U.K.
But no matter how much she succeeds personally, she never forgets where she started. “I always say to other girls: don’t forget your roots. The place that made you—that place matters.”
““I always say to other girls: don’t forget your roots. The place that made you—that place matters.””
This year, Sirjana launched her own community-based organization to support girls’ empowerment in her home region of Karnali. Himshaakti Foundation empowers girls through sports, leadership, and education to break barriers and create opportunities. The organization is establishing and mentoring the region’s first girls’ soccer teams. For more training for this new part of her journey, Sirjana enrolled in our Girls First Institute—she’s scoring a She’s the First programming hat trick!
Sirjana is the first in her family to graduate from high school. The first to go to college. The first to lead a nationwide campaign for girls’ rights.
And without a doubt, she won’t be the last.
