Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (November 22, 2009) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — Prisoners Assistance Nepal (PA Nepal), an NGO based in Kathmandu that conducts prison welfare work, bested 20 other NGOs from across the Asia-Pacific region to win the 2009 Asia Society-Bank of America Merrill Lynch Asia 21 Young Leaders Public Service Award (Asia 21 PSA). The organization will receive a cash prize of US$10,000 and will be represented by its founder, Indira Ranamagar, at the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from November 20-22, 2009.

Founded in 2000 by Ms. Ranamagar, herself an Asia 21 young leader, PA Nepal provides a home for children who would otherwise be in jail with a convicted parent, and further allows them the opportunity to attend school. It continues to rescue children from prisons around the country and currently supports more than 300 youth across Nepal, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years.

Ranamager recalls how she had to overcome extreme poverty and gender discrimination in order to obtain an education, eventually becoming a schoolteacher and providing literacy classes for women in her village. In the early 1990s, she met renowned Nepali writer and human rights activist Bishnu Kumari Waiba, also known as Parizat, and began working with her in the country's jails. "It was then that I saw the work that needed to be done," Ranamagar says. "It has meant that I have been able to work with the most vulnerable and the most desperate and I have been able to give them hope and assistance."

The Asia 21 PSA, now on its fourth year, recognizes an organization that has made an outstanding contribution in reaching underprivileged social/economic groups by providing a meaningful service to a community and the public in the region. The selection is overseen by the incumbent Asia 21 Fellowship Class, a core group of young leaders from across the Asia-Pacific, soliciting nominations for the Award and narrowing down the pool to five finalists based on project innovation and feasibility, quantifiable impact, sustainability and growth potential.

Aside from receiving a financial grant, generously provided by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, PA Nepal also gains access to the network of resources and expertise of the Asia 21 Fellowship Class. This may include mentoring in such areas as Strategic Planning, Capacity Building and Training, Resource Mobilization, Program Development and Management, and Legal Services.

ABOUT THE ASIA 21 YOUNG LEADERS SUMMIT
The Asia Society's fourth annual Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit will be held for the first time in Kuala Lumpur from November 20-22, 2009. It will bring together more than 150 young leaders from across the Asia-Pacific to develop common approaches to meet the region's shared challenges. The three-day event will revolve around the theme "The Changing Face of Leadership: Crisis and Opportunity," and will feature Malaysian Prime Minister, YAB Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, as Keynote Speaker at the Opening Dinner.

ABOUT THE ASIA SOCIETY
For more information about Asia Society's Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative, including details about previous conferences and Fellows, please visit www.AsiaSociety.org/Asia21 Asia Society is the leading global organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. It seeks to enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts, and culture. Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and Washington, DC. For more information, contact the Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Issued on behalf of Asia Society by GO COMMUNICATIONS SDN BHD
  For media enquiries kindly contact:
  Ms. Abigail Pacquing abbyp@asiasoc.org
  Ms. Andora Fredericks andora@gocomm.com.my
  Ms. Sue Ann E. Lim sueann@gocomm.com.my
  Tel : (03) 7710-3288
  Fax : (03) 7710 3289