Blog post

Bhawana Upadhyay - ETC Nepal Coordinator & IT Operations Officer, WFP Nepal

It feels amazing to perform the role of “the enabler”

What is your current role? 

Head of Unit for ICT in the World Food Programme, Nepal Country Office and Coordinator for Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC). 

How did you come to work in ICT? 

I studied Electronics Engineering at university and followed the career path in the field of ICT. Now it’s almost 20 years working in the ICT sector!

What do you like the most about working in ICT? 

ICT is not just about computers and connectivity, ICT is THE ENABLER for any business to thrive and succeed.

What challenges do you face as a woman in ICT?

Not quite a challenge as now I got quite used to it, but normally there is only me as a woman in a group of about 20 ICT professionals. I wonder why gender balance in ICT has made very little progress during the last 20 years that I have been in this field.  

What message do you have to encourage girls and young women considering careers in ICT?  

Girls and young women should stay confident of their ability and not shy out; they can compete in equal capacity as male colleagues in ICT. And it is a great career to choose because it feels amazing to perform the role of “the enabler”. Actually it is fun to be a woman in ICT!

Bhawana Upadhyay
ETC Nepal Coordinator & IT Operations Officer, World Food Programme (WFP)
Kathmandu, Nepal


For International Girls in ICT Day 2016, the ETC celebrates women from across the network who ignore the stereotypes to not only pursue their passion in ICT, but to help the lives of others. 

Through the stories and the words of these women, the ETC network supports the global Girls in ICT movement, encouraging girls and young women to pursue studies and careers in ICT.


Celebrated on the 4th Thursday in April every year, International Girls in ICT Day is an International Telecommunications Union (ITU) initiative backed by all ITU Member States, that aims to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies (ICTs).