Despite being just an eighth-grade student and facing criticism like “This is the age to study, not to roam outside. Why are you wasting your time?”, 12-year-old Susan Sapkota embarked on a journey to make a positive impact on his environment. If the quote ‘Age is just a number’ had a face, it would be Sapkota. Despite his young age, his determination to do something good for society was significant, leading him to initiate an environmental campaign, ‘Go Green Go Clean’, in Surkhet at the age of 12. Now 17, he wears many hats—an environmentalist, campaigner, organiser and facilitator of various movements and campaigns related to the environment, sexual and reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, mental health and more.

Active in leadership roles since childhood, Sapkota believes that nature, society and people around us form the foundation of our existence and identity. His aim became a reality after attending a guest lecture by author and paediatrician Dr Nawaraj KC in 2018. Sapkota says he still vividly remembers KC saying, “It is our duty to keep everything given by nature intact for future generations,” at the event. Motivated by this, he reached out to Dr KC, and together, they started the ‘Go Green Go Clean’ campaign in Birendranagar, Surkhet. The campaign, promoting ecological preservation practices, recently completed its 100th week and expanded from one ward of Birendranagar to all of Surkhet. Many schools in the district now run a clean club, too.

In 2020, when Sapkota was 14, the enterprise Glocal Private Limited honoured Sapkota with two titles: ‘Glocal Teen Hero’ and ‘Environmentalist’.

Advocating for the 3R model for plastic use—ie reduce, reuse and recycle, Sapkota says, “If used correctly, plastics can prove to be a bliss.” An environment enthusiast, he is interested in green energy, noting, “Using green energy costs Rs1 per km compared to Rs17 per km for diesel and Rs19 per km for petrol. We can save a lot of money as well as our environment every day using green energy.”

Recognising his hard work and passion, Sapkota has been selected to participate in the upcoming ‘South Asian Economic Summit’ in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he will present his research on the ‘Feasibility of Green Public Transportation in Nepal’.

Sapkota’s concern extends beyond environmental issues. He has conducted programmes related to sexual and reproductive health in almost all districts of Karnali Province, excluding Humla. Although he says that he has never witnessed gender discrimination at his home, he is aware of the challenges faced by girls and women in society, especially when seeking permission for activities like cleaning campaigns.

Additionally, realising prevalent taboos related to menstruation, Sapkota initiated a campaign for menstrual hygiene awareness. Emphasising the need for all genders to understand such issues, he conducted awareness programmes with both men and women in attendance. “It’s not enough for only women and girls to understand menstruation. Men should also know what it is and how it changes and affects one’s body,” he adds.

While he enjoys conducting all these workshops, wearing these many hats hasn’t been easy for Sapkota. He faced initial resistance from relatives and financial challenges, exacerbated by Covid-19. Despite everything, he continues, thinking that if he could help or bring change for even one person, it would be worth facing all the problems.

He recalls a challenging ‘safe abortion’ programme in Jumla in November, where villagers opposed his ideas. “However, a brave woman spoke up, thanking us (him and his team) for the workshop and three more women promised to raise their voices for their rights,” he adds. These small sparks of change and the support of his parents keep Sapkota going. He says, “The person I am today is all thanks to my parents, their hard work and values.”

Sapkota has an upcoming health camp in Karnali Province focusing on women and children in March and is working on the ‘Manobal mental health campaign’ with Future Nepal.

From a 12-year-old boy to a 17-year-old law student today, one thing that remains constant for Sapkota is his determination to contribute to society and the environment. With this resolve, he wishes to continue to build paths and encourages others, “If there’s anything you want to do, don’t let hurdles stop you. Everyone has the power to spread a positive message.”