ss7Shape events are organized by various regions to focus on the challenges faced by their communities and what measures can be taken to address the same. Shape South Asia Kathmandu is one such event, that was conducted by Kathmandu hub of the Global Shapers community of the World Economic Forum.

Nepal is a beautiful country known for Mount Everest, Arun valley: the deepest valley in the world, Birth place of Gautam Buddha and much more, the list is endless. It was shaken by an earthquake measuring more than 7 on Richter scale in April 2015. It shook the nation but not the spirits of the people there.

The earthquake struck when Nepal was already dealing with political instability. During such testing times, the young people of the country got together to help it recover and come out even stronger from this disaster.

The purpose of this Shape South Asia event was to spread awareness on how to make our cities sustainable. As soon as our flight landed we were welcomed by a mild earthquake. Enough to set the tone of the event.

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Shape South Asia Event – Kathmandu 2015

The event began with an opening note from Kathmandu curator Sneh Rajbhandari followed by Gandhi Change awards and Gala dinner. Following day started with a Key note from Mr. Anil Chitrakar, he gave us an insight on Kathmandu valley and briefed us on its history. Next, all the participants were divided into four groups and taken for informative and interactive sessions with people and organization which contributed in the recovery of Nepal, post-earthquake.

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Global Shapers group at Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL)

Our group was taken to Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL). KLL is a non-profit dedicated to the co-creation and implementation of mobile and internet-based technology solutions to enhance urban resilience and civic engagement in Nepal. During this session, we were given an overview on how the process of mapping done with community engagement can serve as an instrument for development for sustainable cities.

The third day, we went for a tour to Patan city with experts and a walk to Maya foundation. It was quite an overwhelming experience. Patan city is known for its artistic heritage, walk around the city gave us an insight on how people have tried to maintain the cultural value of the city and attempts have been made to preserve the old architecture.

In the end, we had a reflection session where participants shared their experience and learning’s they took from the two days event. This event was the perfect opportunity to learn, share and connect with participants from all the South-Asian nations.