Ramjee Adhikari is a Nepali social campaigner whose life’s work is centered on one clear promise: to help build a Nepal where no one is forced to live on the streets for lack of food, clothing, or shelter. He is the Founder and Chairperson of Manavsewa Ashram (MSA), an organization that began in Hetauda, Makwanpur, and has since grown into a nationwide movement for rescue, care, and family reunification.
Early roots and voice of service
Born in Gorkha (Palungtar-2, Satdobate), Ramjee grew up honoring parents and elders as the first teachers of humanity. Those values became the foundation of his public speaking and community mobilization. When he began holding programs in Hetauda—speaking with students, teachers, and aama samuhas—people encountered a voice that was at once practical and hopeful. His oratory is not about spectacle; it is about responsibility: how each of us can turn empathy into small, repeatable actions at home, in schools, and in public offices.
A year that changed a district—and a life
In the early phase of his work in Hetauda, Ramjee organized sessions across neighborhoods and nearby towns—Daman, Palung, Namatar, Bhaise, Bhimphedi, and Chhatiwan. Schools, colleges, mothers’ groups, and fathers’ groups gathered not for a ceremonial event but for a working conversation about culture, compassion, and change. Within a year, he had established a recognized presence in Makwanpur, showing that steady, respectful dialogue can shift a community’s mindset.
Among the many events of that year, one stands out. A shared meal was prepared for people who had been living along the streets and public places—individuals burdened by neglect, illness, and isolation. Volunteers welcomed them to a clean venue, helped with washing and grooming, served food, and even danced together for a few minutes of unguarded joy. For a day, the walls between “us” and “them” melted into a single human table.
The night of rain and the morning of resolve
The plan for the event ended with the meal. The team had not yet imagined long-term rehabilitation; there was neither a designed pathway nor enough means. After the program, people had to be returned to the streets. That night, rain fell hard and long. Warm in his own bed, Ramjee could not rest. He kept seeing those same people, soaked and shivering. The feeling was not guilt alone—it was recognition: if service stops at charity, suffering returns with the weather.
By morning, his intention had hardened into a decision: to commit to those who could not care for themselves and had no one to care for them. That decision became the founding impulse of Manavsewa Ashram—a place where rescue is followed by care, and care is followed by the deeper work of rehabilitation and reunion.
Humble beginnings, clear direction
The beginning was modest: a small amount of money—three thousand rupees—one laptop, and one projector. With that, Ramjee started organizing, speaking, and coordinating rescues. The approach remained simple and human: see the person first, stabilize health and safety, rebuild identity and connection, and where possible, reunite families. What started in a rented space soon required a network of centers and partners who believed that dignity is not a luxury; it is the basis of recovery.
From one center to a nationwide effort
Over time, the work expanded. Service centers opened across provinces to rescue and support people living without shelter, often with untreated illnesses and severed family ties. The effort has reached districts throughout the country, with teams coordinating rescues, providing daily care, and pursuing family reunification wherever possible. Alongside operations, MSA began a long-term plan to transition centers from rented buildings to permanent homes—what Ramjee calls “temples of humanity,” places designed for stability, care, and hope.
A public culture rooted in empathy
Ramjee’s influence is not limited to rescue operations. He invests in the culture that surrounds them. Through school and college programs, he encourages students to practice focus, discipline, and peer leadership. With parents, he offers calm, connection-first routines that strengthen bonds at home. For teachers, he stresses the power of a teacher’s mindset to shape classroom climate. In public offices, he invites officers to adopt citizen-friendly conduct and clear, respectful communication. With community organizations, he promotes trust, teamwork, and results. These engagements are not side projects; they are the soil from which sustainable change grows.
Training as a tool for everyday change
Ramjee’s trainings take two forms: focused orientations (around two hours) and deeper intensives (around ten hours, delivered in modules or as a single day). The structure is practical: mindset foundations, motivation and grit, communication and conflict, role-model behaviors tailored to the audience, and an action plan with a 30-day practice tracker. He uses interactive lectures, small-group work, role-plays, and simple mindfulness routines so participants leave with habits they can implement the same day. In his view, a training is successful only if it shows up tomorrow in how we speak, decide, and serve.
Leadership style
Those who have worked with Ramjee describe two traits that define his leadership: clarity and steadiness. He is clear about the aim—rescue, rehabilitate, reunite—and steady about the method—respect every person, keep promises small and doable, and build systems that outlast any single individual. He values partnerships with municipalities, schools, NGOs, and citizen groups, knowing that the scale of the challenge requires shared ownership.
Country of Humanity - A Milestone
The movement has marked many milestones: growth from a rented room to a network of service centers; frequent rescue operations across districts; a pipeline for rehabilitation and reunification; and public programs that continue to shape how families, classrooms, and offices treat those most in need. The next chapter focuses on three priorities:
- consolidating permanent centers to ensure stability and quality of care;
- expanding family reunification pathways through documentation, health support, and mediation; and
- scaling training programs that keep empathy alive in homes, schools, and public services.
What he asks of all of us
Ramjee does not present himself as a hero, and he does not ask for admiration. He asks for practice: a little more patience at home; a little more respect at the counter; a little more attention to the person who has been left behind. He believes that when ordinary people choose small acts of service, extraordinary outcomes follow. This conviction, formed in the rain-soaked night that gave birth to Manavsewa Ashram, continues to guide his days.
A simple vow
If there is a sentence that captures his life’s work, it is this: “Food, Clothing & Shelter for All.” It is a vow expressed in rescues, in careful hands, in a warm bed, in the call that reunites a son to a mother, and in the quiet dignity of a person who is no longer alone. That is the Nepal he serves toward—one practical step, one caring routine, one reunited family at a time.