Sarswati Nepali Receives Inaugural US Secretary’s Global Anti-Racism Champions Award
Sarswati Nepali is one of six recipients of the first annual US Secretary of State’s Global Anti-Racism Champions Award (GARC), presented at a ceremony held on 9 August 2023 in Washington, DC.
The GARC award honors global civil society leaders who have “courageously advanced the human rights of members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities and combatted systemic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia worldwide.” The inaugural awards honored six champions from different regions of the world.
Sarswati is the President of the Dalit Society Development Forum, a Girls First Fund grantee partner in Nepal. She is an acclaimed social activist and a lifelong defender of the human rights of marginalized castes, the disabled, and the poor. For over twenty years, Sarswati has demonstrated sustained leadership in advancing the human rights of members of the most marginalized ethnic communities in Nepal.
Born into a Dalit – or “untouchable” caste – family in Nepal’s far-western region, she played a crucial role in Dalit social justice movements to acquire land rights, gain access to education, and obtain equal justice from the courts.
"I am feeling more motivated and confident to continue my work. With this recognition, I feel more responsible toward my community- especially women and girls."
Sarswati Nepali
Speaking on Sarswati’s incredible work, US Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken said “She has campaigned to allow Dalits to worship at popular Hindu temples – and she won. She has worked to abolish bonded labor in western Nepal, which has trapped Dalit families for generations, and she succeeded. She has fought for Dalits overlooked by the legal system and achieved victories there, too.”
The U.S. State Department’s special representative for racial justice and equity, Desirée Cormier Smith said, “We thought it was important to recognize the leaders who may not be known internationally or even nationally within their own countries, but they are known to their communities. They are known as the ones who refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice; the ones who refuse – who have the courage to stand up and fight to promote the rights and dignity of their communities when they are systematically denied and violated. They are known as the ones who give these communities voice and hope. That is the spirit in which this award was created.”
On receiving the award, Sarswati remarked, “I never thought that I will get this award. It is like my biggest dream come true. Because of this news, many people around the world got to know about Nepal and my organization. I also got the opportunity to learn about the work of the other awardees from different countries. I am feeling more motivated and confident to continue my work. With this recognition, I feel more responsible toward my community- especially women and girls. I also want to thank the Girls First Fund for trusting me and my organization and being the first international donor to support our work.”
Shruti Karki, GFF Program Advisor for Nepal, expressed excitement for this achievement. “This is a proud moment for all the Nepalese people. It is a time for celebration of how a woman from the far western hills of Nepal, silently working on women’s empowerment and girls’ leadership towards ending child marriage, has now become a global icon. This is what GFF wants to achieve: support strong women led organization to rise and shine. We are proud to be the first international donor to support Sarswati’s work in her district, helping them to build their confidence and change the stories of women and girls.”
Sarswati’s decades of advocacy on behalf of those in the most need and her demonstrated success in attaining justice and providing a voice to the marginalized are a model of courage in the pursuit of dignity and human rights.