The Loop HK 30 Under 30 2017
Chairperson, Musubi Hong Kong
Divya Gurung grew up in Hong Kong with Nepalese parents — her father served as a Gurkha. Things changed, however, with the handover in 1997.
“With the handover, the British army school I attended closed down,” she explains. “In order to secure a better future rather than return to Nepal, my parents fought to remain in Hong Kong. However, due to economical reasons, my parents could not afford international schools.” In the end, Gurung attended the “few educational provisions that were available for ethnic minority children.”
After school, Gurung dived into a career in education, particularly in special education. She is the chairperson of Musubi Hong Kong: established in April 2017, the organization is run on a voluntary basis by five ethnic minority women. “The focus of Musubi is education,” Gurung says. “It supports ethnic minority families with children with special needs and also engages in raising awareness about gender issues, including gender-based violence.”
“I would like to contribute towards making Hong Kong’s education system more inclusive for children of all abilities and backgrounds.”
Aside from her role at Musubi, Gurung will also be starting work at Hong Kong Academy as a learning support co-teacher in the new year. The importance of education, and how it can “transform people’s lives”, is a motivator for her. “I would like to contribute towards making Hong Kong’s education system more inclusive for children of all abilities and backgrounds.”
Her very first job? “My first job, at 18 years old, was at The Children’s Institute as an assistant behavior analyst, working with children on the autism spectrum.”
What inspires her? “Grassroots movements.”