As a teenager, Mahendra went to Saudi Arabia in search of his father who had been living as a migrant worker there for 14 years. Hoping to send support home to his family, Mahendra experienced first-hand the poor working conditions that many Nepali workers face. While in Saudi Arabia, he developed a Nepali migrant rights network which he then turned into a leading Nepali NGO, Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee (PNCC). In the last fifteen years, he has worked in worker organising, human rights, anti-trafficking, and survivor leadership. He is founder of the largest Nepali migrant workers network Shramik Sanjal and the founder of the Global Migrant Workers Network (GMWN), where he provides support to building the next generation of migrant worker leaders from Africa and Asia. As a board member of the Freedom Fund, a global fund which aims to end modern slavery, he brings his experiences and perspectives as a former migrant worker with lived experience from the Global South. He is on the Advisory Council of Polaris, a leading organisation working on anti-trafficking issues. Mahendra holds a master’s degree in digital media and storytelling from American University in Washington D.C. In his free time, he is also a practitioner of mindfulness, wisdom, and joy.
