Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organization (NNDSWO) is a leading organization in combating “caste-based discrimination and untouchability’’ and promoting social justice, and dignity of Dalit in Nepal. NNDSWO, established in 1982, is a first registered non-governmental organization by Dalit for Dalit rights. NNDSWO is the legitimization of the social movement against caste based discrimination and untouchability started in 1950s by small groups of Dalit activists in different nooks and corners of the country to voice against untouchability. The Dalit Activists, realizing the importance of a registered organization at the national level to unite the movement and amplify the voices, established Nepal National Social Welfare Organization, which was later renamed as NNDSWO. The inititation to establish this organization was influenced by the first Dalit movement initiator Bhagat Sarbajit Bishwakarma, Baglung. He had established Bishwo Sarbajan Sangh in 2006 B.S. and started movement against caste based discrimination. This organization was established in 2039 B.S. in the leadership of Pratapram Lohar. He was welknown Dalit activist in Nepal.

The registration of NNDSWO is itself a milestone in the history of the Dalit movement in Nepal. It became a national platform for Dalit activists working in different corners of the country establishing its district chapters in more than 50 districts at the time of registration the organization initiated advocacy, networking, alliance building and campaigning on the issue and other social exclusion and marginalized issues nationally. In the same spirit it has strengthened its local initiatives building linkages with regional and international human rights advocacy organizations. NNDSWO as the grassroots nurtured advocacy champion organization for combating ‘‘Caste-based discrimination and untouchability’’ and advocating for social justice and dignified life of Dalits in Nepal has been walking the road less travelled in transforming Dalits and to abolish untouchability forever. It is a not-for-profit and non-partisan civil society organization established by Dalit rights activists itself thus is a Right Based Organization as taking RBA as the development tool for transforming people and community. NNDSWO is a member based organization having its organizational networks (District Executive Committees) in all 77 districts of Nepal. It works through its chapters across the provinces and country. Its initial initiatives were focused in organizing, sensitizing, empowering and networking Dalit from east to west for united voice-the amplified unheard voices- against caste based discrimination. Since 1992, it has been implementing different development interventions for social, political, and economic empowerment of Dalit and vulnerable groups who are in historical exclusion and marginalization in Nepal.

A number of factors that have been contributing to sustain and strengthen NNDSWO as an institution for more than three and half decades. Of them, organization’s grass-root level members base with volunteer spirit, the passion of members to realize organization’s mission and their trust in its leadership, contextual programming capacity, practice of internal good governance, continuous trust of development and partners, and its ability to adapt changing context are major.