Rewat Timilsina left his home at only seven years of age, dreams of fame and fortune filling his mind. Unfortunately, what awaited him was not acting stardom but a life on the street. It was this life though, that shaped Rewat into who his is today, the head of an NGO who works tirelessly to help those who find themselves in the position he was once in.

Growing up on the street, he turned to a non-governmental organization, much like the one he currently heads, for help. The program he visited supplied him with food, shelter, and money. He also received training in bicycle repair, and was put to work in a bicycle shop sponsored by the program, along with other street children. However, after three months, the program discontinued its support. The youths employed there could not make enough money, and they were forced to return to the streets. Back on the streets, no longer supported by a center, he dreamed of digging a hole to the United States and pleading with then President Bill Clinton to not give aid to these programs, which arent truly helping those in need.

Later in life, Rewat began working with programs that help street children, choosing a life of service over an acting career and hoping to be the positive difference that was not present when he was seeking help. While with these organizations, he realized that the amount of politics and buearacracy made it nearly impossible to do what really mattered, help the children on the street.

It was then that Rewat and some of his close friends decided to start their own program, run by ex-street children, with the needs of street children in mind. Rewat now runs Jagaran Forum Nepal, which shelters and feeds street, children, Prayas, which employs street children in garbage collecting throughout Lalitpur and other parts of Kathmandu, and he plans on starting a vocational training center for youths.

The Kathmandu Post has a more in-depth article detailing Rewat’s life from a child on the streets to the head of an NGO. It is the fourth article from the top.