Avinash Jha

Avinash leads a parallel career as a community organizer and an engineer. With professional focus on programs and policies to promote youth innovation, and community resilience, Avinash has more than five years of experience in Community Leadership, as co-founder of two NGO’s and a social enterprise working in youth, sustainable development and technology spheres. As a co-founder of social enterprise, ASK Foundation, he is currently piloting Information, Communication and Technology for farmers that helps Nepal’s farming communities to accelerate their livelihood.

An engineer by training, Avinash believes application of right technological interventions at right places and at right time can transform Nepal’s agriculture sector rather quickly. If technology is the ‘game-changer’, Avinash believes, youth of Nepal that are much better accustomed to technology, must play a pivotal role in its proliferation.

Along with his friends, Avinash designed a product titled “ICT for Agriculture”, and won several prestigious national and international awards and competitions. The product was selected as the winner of Ncell App Camp 2014, ICT for Mountain Development Award, and REC@NNECT Challenge 2014.

In his prior engineering career, he led research activities to pilot wind energy projects in Nepal. In addition, he supervised the development, design, planning and monitoring of energy systems like, Micro/Pico-hydro, Solar PV, and Improved Cooking Stoves in rural communities of Nepal.

Avinash received his Bachelor of Technology degree from Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, India with full scholarship from Nepal Aid Fund Scholarship Program of Indian Government.