FAITH — Friends Affected and Infected Together in Hand — is a women-led organization working across Nepal to advance health, dignity, and rights for marginalized communities.
What began as a small peer support network for women living with HIV has grown into a national movement reaching women and communities often left behind by traditional systems.
FAITH was founded in 2005 by women living with HIV who faced stigma, discrimination, and barriers to healthcare. Rather than waiting for support, they created a community built on solidarity, dignity, and collective action. Over the past two decades, FAITH has expanded beyond HIV to address the interconnected challenges affecting marginalized women and communities — including mental health, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, economic empowerment, climate resilience, and access to rights and justice. Today, FAITH works across Nepal through a network of community-based partners, helping women become leaders, advocates, and changemakers in their own communities.
We work to break stigma, advance equality, and protect the rights of marginalized communities. Through community empowerment, advocacy, and local support networks, we help women, children, and vulnerable groups build healthier, safer, and more dignified lives.
Two decades of community-led action, advocacy, and partnership have shaped FAITH's journey toward lasting change.
— Reena Lama, Executive Director, AASTHA FAITH
FAITH founded in Lalitpur by women affected by Nepal's HIV/AIDS crisis, creating a space for solidarity, advocacy, and dignity.
First structured peer support groups established for women living with HIV in Kathmandu Valley.
Pioneered TB screening and treatment protocols for HIV-positive women, later adopted as a national standard.
Expanded outreach to female drug users and female sex workers; established the first Drop-In Centre.
Published formative research on behaviour change communication with FPAN/Global Fund and developed TB-HIV mass media IEC guidelines.
Launched advocacy campaigns to reduce stigma in healthcare settings for PLHIV and FSWs.
Expanded harm reduction programme, reaching 568 people who inject drugs through outreach.
Completed national baseline assessment of injection safety across 78 hospitals, supported by WHO/HQ Geneva.
Strengthened network of community-based organisations across 10 districts.
Launched SRHR advocacy programme targeting women living with HIV and female sex workers.
Formally declared as a women-led organisation, with all decision-making positions designated for women.
Launched a five-year SRHR orientation programme, reaching 6,912 girls and women across 17 districts.
Trained 1,113 local government healthcare providers on SRHR rights across 16 districts.
Assessed and addressed stigma in healthcare settings, training 205 health providers to deliver SRH services without discrimination.
Developed the Safetypin mobile application to improve access to safe abortion information for marginalised women.
Maintained programme continuity through the early COVID-19 period and adapted outreach to community needs.
Provided COVID-19 relief packages to 280 women across 15 districts while continuing SRHR and legal advocacy.
Established a bakery training facility for female sex workers with FREE Fund and launched Phase I economic empowerment programme.
Launched peer mental health model for women in the entertainment sector, reaching 1,007 marginalised women in Lalitpur.
595 women completed financial literacy across 7 districts; 51 youth enrolled in STEM; 1,732 women reached with legal literacy.
FAITH celebrates 20 years: a national network, a proven model, and eight focus areas for the next chapter.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Reena Lama is the Executive Director of FAITH, where she has shaped the organization’s strategy, programs, and partnerships for nearly two decades — first as Program Manager and, since 2019, at its helm. She holds a Master in Public Health from the Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands and a Bachelor’s in Psychology, with more than seventeen years in strategic planning, program development, and monitoring — seven of them devoted to the sexual and reproductive health of marginalized communities. A health and human rights activist, she is known for building durable partnerships across donors, government, and community-led organizations.
FOUNDER / TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Miraz Roshan is the founder of FAITH, which he led as Executive Director from 2005 to 2019 before moving into his current role as Technical Advisor. A filmmaker and director trained in Kathmandu, London, and Berlin, he guides FAITH’s media and communications — documentaries, public service films, web series, and advocacy materials — and supports the leadership on strategy, partnerships, and new funding. Across two decades he has directed a substantial body of advocacy films on HIV, harm reduction, and the sexual and reproductive health of marginalized women, several of them selected for international festivals. Alongside film, he draws on mindfulness, spiritual practice, music, and storytelling to support the mental health of marginalized women and to deepen FAITH’s work on gender. His next focus is gender-climate storytelling. He works between Nepal and Germany.
SENIOR FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Bijeta Pradhan leads finance and administration at FAITH, overseeing grant management, budgeting, donor compliance, and the systems that keep the organization running. She holds an Executive Master of Business Administration and brings more than thirteen years across financial management, human resources, and organizational operations. Her work anchors FAITH’s promise to handle every rupee and every report with accuracy.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Junu Shrestha keeps FAITH’s financial and administrative work running smoothly — from reporting and budgeting to procurement and compliance. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Studies and has spent more than a decade in finance and project operations. Precise and well-organized, she makes sure the day-to-day administration holds up under the scrutiny that good stewardship demands.
MONITORING, EVALUATION & LEARNING (DATA) OFFICER
Shikha Basnet is FAITH’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer. With over seven years in public health across government and development sectors, she turns data and field evidence into a clear picture of what FAITH’s programs are achieving — and where they can do better. Her work in research, monitoring, and data management helps the team design programs that measure the change they set out to create.
PROJECT OFFICER
Sushmita Karki is a Project Officer at FAITH, leading rights-based programs for the inclusion and empowerment of socially excluded communities. She works from a human rights framework, confronting stigma and discriminatory norms at both grassroots and national levels in the name of equality, equity, and dignity. With over eight years among marginalized communities, she pushes for gender equality, social inclusion, and programming grounded in evidence rather than assumption.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Kshitiz Khadgi is a psychologist at FAITH, supporting mental health and emotional wellbeing through evidence-based, compassionate care. He holds a Master’s degree in counseling psychology, with experience in counseling, social work, and field supervision. He favors a practical, collaborative approach — working alongside people as they build resilience and move toward the changes they want for themselves.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Prakriti Subba is a clinical psychologist at FAITH, focused on the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of people from excluded and marginalized groups. With a Master’s degree in psychology and over two years of practice, she offers steady, respectful support to people working through their hardest moments. Witnessing their growth, healing, and recovery — reached on their own terms — is what keeps deepening her commitment to the work.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Alisha Shrestha is a psychologist and psychosocial counseling trainer at FAITH, working with people of all ages and backgrounds. She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and more than three years in trauma-informed care, drawing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness to help people steady themselves through difficulty. Those she works with describe her as easy to talk to — someone who listens closely and lets no one feel rushed or unheard.
OFFICE ASSISTANT
Sujita Mijar is FAITH’s Office Assistant and, for many who walk through the door, the first welcoming face they meet. She keeps daily operations running smoothly, balancing administrative support with the hospitality that makes the office a comfortable, well-ordered place to work and visit.