Roshan Shrestha: The Man Changing Nepali Journalism with a Free Help App

Building an app isn't something most journalists do-especially not one that's made to help people freely, without strings. But that's what Roshan Shrestha did.

He noticed something many had missed: countless Nepalis, especially those from rural places, had nowhere to go when digital tools failed or local systems ignored them. So he created a space-the Roshan Shrestha App-a simple, no-cost platform where people could report problems, seek digital support, or raise local concerns. It wasn't built for profit or downloads. It was built to help.

Roshan comes from Hundung, a hillside village in Sindhupalchok, where he was born in 1996. His family farmed the land like most others around them. He studied in a government school in Nagpuje, and later moved to Kathmandu to earn a living. There, he worked in small jobs-selling Ayurvedic products and later managing a vegetable stall.

In 2015, a major earthquake shook Nepal. Sindhupalchok, his home district, was hit hard. Roads cracked, houses collapsed, and families were left waiting for aid that often never came. What shocked Roshan more than the damage was how little of it made it to the national news. So he picked up his phone and started filming.

The footage wasn't polished. No microphone, no lighting-just facts. But people watched. Because it showed what they lived, not what others assumed. Encouraged by the response, he kept documenting. By 2021, he officially launched Khoj Samachar, a small outlet dedicated to stories from the ground. Not trending news, but real ones-missing persons, poor road work, ignored complaints, village corruption.

Soon, his inbox flooded with requests. From people whose Facebook accounts had vanished to villagers dealing with unresolved land disputes. He couldn't answer everyone. And so, the Roshan Shrestha App was born in 2024.

It lets users submit digital or local issues, ask for help, or request a follow-up. It's free. There are no subscriptions or login barriers. And it works in Nepali.

Roshan still works with little help. He updates his website roshanstha.com himself. His stories appear on community pages, and his name is listed on journalist directories like Muck Rack. But you're more likely to find him in a ward office with a notepad than in a newsroom.

In today's noisy digital world, Roshan's work is quiet but lasting. He listens. And for many, that alone is enough.

Company Name: Wikinp
Address: Kathmandu Metropolitan City - 12, Anamnagar
City: Kathmandu
Postal Code: 44600
Province: Bagmati Province
Country: Nepal
Website: https://wikinp.org
Press Contact: Ruhan

Wikinp is a non-profit organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal, working to support open-access digital publishing, grassroots documentation, and free community knowledge platforms. The organization empowers local voices by helping individuals and small teams share their stories, research, and public-interest content online without commercial barriers.

This release was published on openPR.