A Bahini Becomes a Didi and a Didi Takes Flight

By Laxmi Aryal, Rukmini Foundation Advisor

There is a particular kind of joy in watching someone you’ve known since childhood grow into the person they were always meant to become. And there is a particular kind of sadness when that person must leave.

This month, we say goodbye—for now—to Roshani Rumba. She has left the foundation to pursue her studies in Japan. And as I sit down to write this, I find myself smiling and feeling heavy all at once.

A Journey That Started in Bhandarkharka

I first came to know Roshani as a Rukmini Bahini back in 2017. She was just a young girl then, living in Bhandarkharka—a small village in the southern hills outside Pharping. It is a place where the Tamang community has long faced challenges with education and economic opportunity. But even then, there was something about Roshani that made you stop and pay attention.

Her early life was not easy. Her parents had moved to Kathmandu in search of work, leaving Roshani and her younger brother with their grandmother. When her parents finally brought the children to the city, Roshani found herself in a strange new environment. She struggled with Nepali at first—the language of her own country, but not the one she had grown up speaking at home. She was bright, though. Determined. She learned quickly and did well in school.

Then the 2015 earthquake came, and everything shifted again. The family moved back to the village. Her parents went abroad for employment, leaving Roshani and her brother once more with their grandmother. Back in the village, she faced the challenge of learning the local language all over again. But she adapted. She always adapted.

The Didi Program That Changed Everything

When Roshani joined the Rukmini Foundation, she found something she hadn’t known she was looking for. The Didi program—our mentoring program—became her favorite. She would sit and listen to the stories of successful women, and something inside her stirred. She began to dream not just for herself, but for her community.

After passing her SEE in 2018, she didn’t just move on. She stayed. She started mentoring local children in her village. She continued her +2 education as a Rukmini Bahini. And then in 2023, she joined the Rukmini team as a staff member while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at Shikharapur College.

Becoming a Voice for Her Community

As a mentor with the Lit Club and GLOW Club at her old school, Roshani flourished. She ran programs, shared her knowledge with younger bahinis, and learned something that would shape her approach to everything: acceptance. She believed—truly believed—that when you accept a person exactly as they are, you give them the confidence to become who they are meant to be.

But there is one story I will never forget. When we held community awareness programs in Bhandarkharka, many of the older villagers struggled to understand Nepali. The programs were in Nepali, and the message wasn’t reaching everyone. Roshani quietly stepped in. She began interpreting—translating the programs into the local Tamang language so that no one was left out. She became the voice for her community, the bridge between the program and the people it was meant to serve.

That is who Roshani is. Someone who sees a gap and fills it. Someone who doesn’t wait to be asked.

Why Her Departure Feels Different

Roshani has been actively involved with Rukmini activities since the day we took her in. She has been a Bahini, a mentor, a staff member. She has transformed in front of our eyes—from a girl who once struggled to find her footing, to a young woman who now helps others find theirs.

And now she is leaving. Not because she doesn’t want to be here, but because she is reaching for something more. Japan is where she will continue her studies, expand her horizons, and build a future that we all believe will be bright.

I am proud of her. Deeply, fiercely proud. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t also sad. We pour so much into nurturing talent like Roshani’s. We watch them grow, and we hope they will stay. But sometimes, the very wings we help them grow are the ones that carry them away.

A Heartfelt Thank You

Roshani, on behalf of everyone at Rukmini Foundation—the board, the staff, the Didis, and the many bahinis whose lives you have touched—thank you. Thank you for your years of dedication. Thank you for your quiet strength, your willingness to step up, and your gift for making everyone around you feel seen.

You came to us as a Bahini. You leave us as a Didi, and so much more.

We know you will carry the spirit of Rukmini with you wherever you go. And we hope—truly hope—that one day, when your studies are complete, you will return to us. Because there will always be a place here for you.

Until then, go with our blessings. Go with our pride. Go with our love.

And know that you are, and always will be, part of this family.

We wish Roshani all the success in her journey ahead. If you would like to support our ongoing work—including skills training and mentoring programs—please reach out. Together, we are building leaders who will shape Nepal’s future, wherever their paths may lead.