Meet Our Founder
Avinash Sharma
Founder & CEo
ENDING GENDER Based Violence: A call to ACtion
Dear Friends,
From a young age, I’ve been deeply drawn to social service with a passion to serve the communities and give back to society. Witnessing the struggles of those less fortunate, both in my native Nepal and later in the United States, ignited a desire within me to make a difference. I believe that everyone deserves a chance to live a life free from violence, poverty and injustice.
I am a Data Scientist by profession and also the Founder of Far Too Young, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to ending all forms of gender based violence and child marriage in particular. Child marriage is a form of gender-based violence as it denies girls their fundamental rights and bodily autonomy. It has severe consequences, including limited education, increased risk of domestic violence, and significant health risks for both mother and child.
Having witnessed the devastating impact of poverty and inequality in both Nepal and the US, I’m committed to creating a more just world. Child marriage is a grave violation of human rights, robbing children of their childhoods, education, and health. It perpetuates poverty and hinders social progress.
Through Far Too Young, we are conducting research, supporting community organizations, providing education to children and raising awareness about this issue. We believe that by working together, we can make a significant impact in ending child marriage and empowering young boys and girls.
Large organizations and governments are not doing enough. And at the current rate of progress, Gender Based Violence and particularly child marriage will not end anytime soon unless individuals and charities come together.
I urge you to consider supporting our work with a generous donation. Every contribution, no matter the size, will help us make a difference.
Thank you for your compassion and support.
Best Wishes for 2025.
Sincerely,
Avi
“Love cannot remain by itself — it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service.” – Mother Teresa
OUR TEAM
Chief Advisor
Mr. Matthew S Friedman, the CEO of The Mekong Club, is a leading, internationally renowned global expert on modern slavery and human trafficking. As award winning public speaker, author, filmmaker, and philanthropist, Matthew regularly advises heads of governments and intelligence agencies. Each year he is cited at least 40 times in the news media (CNN, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, the Financial Times, the Economist, etc.) and invited to speak at major International conferences around the world. As an award winning inspirational and motivational speaker, Matthew has given more than 900 presentations including 129 keynote speeches. He has also authored 13 books.
Matthew has managed and directed tens of millions of dollars to major humanitarian portfolios impacting millions of people for the World Bank, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations. His work over the last 30 years of pioneering and managing international anti-human trafficking projects from Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand and Hong Kong has given him access to many influential networks in different countries throughout the world.
A long-time supporter of film and the media arts, Matthew was an executive producer and advisor on four award-winning films, one of which was nominated for an Emmy and another executive produced by Emma Thompson.
SENIOR PARTNER
Mr. Ravi Baral is an award winning and critically acclaimed filmmaker based in Nepal with 30 years experience in the industry. He has led over three dozen film projects (writing, directing) in domains like public health communication, human trafficking, reproductive and child health and gender equality with partners like USAID, DFID, UNWOMEN, the World Bank and others. He has also produced a documentary on the tripartite (China-Japan-Nepal) expedition to Mount Everest.
Ravi Baral founded Media Alert and Relief Foundation in 1993, a non-profit that alerts the public through education, on areas of health, population, women empowerment, the environment and other social issues. He writes and directs infomercials, edutainment film projects, PSAs, documentaries and awareness campaigns. Ravi produced and directed Chameli, a full-length feature on anti-girl trafficking which was partly funded by UNIFEM and USAID which won four Nepal Motion Picture Awards. He also directed and produced Ramjham, a musical for peace. The motive of the film was to recover the lost peace of Nepal and its eroding democracy through a celluloid campaign. Ravi was also the co-producer of the internationally acclaimed documentary on child trafficking, The Day My God Died, which was nominated to the Emmys in 2005. Ravi has been a media consultant to many communications projects undertaken by INGOs and other private, government and donor organizations in Nepal and South Asia. He will be directing Far Too Young, a full length edutainment film which he also wrote after many years of joint research. The film project is currently in pre-production.
VP & Chief of Operations
Mr. Ashutosh Sharma, after completing his education in computer science joined NorFolk Southern. There he is a technical lead and senior full-stack engineer. He oversees multiple initiatives and is recognized as a leader in developing and managing large scope projects. He works closely with the executive team to understand and fine-tune the roadmap for overall direction and aims of the programs and company’s vision.
At Far Too Young, Ashutosh, with his vast knowledge and skills leads to guide the organizations mission. As VP and Chief of Operations he oversees the activities of Far Too Young in South Asia and the US. A value driven leader, he enables those around him to be relentless and curious in taking challenges head-on. Mr. Sharma believes in giving back to the community which he says brings joy and fulfillment in life. He has supported many charitable causes around the world from an early age.
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
Ms. Oshin Bista, MA in Anthropology from Columbia University, is based in New York . As a Nepali girl born during the decade-long civil war, she witnessed violence and discrimination against vulnerable populations like women and girls from an early age. Moving to Bosnia and Herzegovina at 16 and later to the US at 19, she saw even more nuanced ways conflict and inequality affected children’s well- being and life opportunities. She realized that violence against children, women and other vulnerable groups was not limited to developing economies but was inherent to many institutions worldwide. This realization motivated her to pursue sociocultural issues academically.
At Far Too Young, Oshin is currently leading the Tara Campaign against child marriage.
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Soorya Baral has led several innovative campaigns against HIV/AIDS, Human Trafficking and Violence Against Women in South Asia. He has about a dozen short films to his credit on subjects like environment, sustainable tourism, nutrition, good governance and gender based violence. He has also worked as a consultant to private organizations in developing and implementing communications and marketing plans.
Soorya Baral has been involved in Far Too Young since its inception and is responsible in the development, production and dissemination of communications materials. He also liaisons with various community based organizations, target audiences as well as local governments in countries Far Too Young works with its partner NGOs. With an education in management, Soorya also received training at the New York based prestigious Stella Adler Studio of Acting. He finds happiness in spreading love and compassion to the greater community.