Nepali Women in Queens Challenge Tradition, Taking Lead With Quake Aid
SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 — Cooks, nannies and college students walked through the red door, painted the color of Nepal’s flag. Men and women alike, they came to this agency in Queens on a recent weekday seeking legal help that could allow them to visit family in Nepal after the devastating earthquake there.
They were overjoyed. But Luna Ranjit and Narbada Chhetri, the Nepali women leading the nonprofit Adhikaar, had no time to celebrate now. They were busy running a social services organization that in 10 years has gained political influence beyond New York City — in turn challenging the traditional male-dominated power dynamic of Nepali society.
