In Nepal’s technology and startup world, the digital wallet app “Khalti” is a highly recognized name. Dhurba Adhikari was one of the key people behind its success. But at the peak of his career, he surprised everyone by deciding to leave the world of coding and financial technology.
When he left Khalti, many people assumed he would simply start another tech company. Instead, he chose a completely different path.
Dhurba left the tech world with a new goal: to build a comprehensive support system for children with autism and their families. He announced his new journey earlier this year on the day of Saraswati Puja.
“Leaving Khalti was not a sudden decision,” Dhurba says. “I planned it two years ago. My goal was to finish the company’s merger as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and then step down.”
From Computer Codes to the Human Mind
The subject of autism was not completely new to Dhurba. He had seen the number of autism cases growing around him, and he felt a strong urge to make an impact.
About 3 or 4 years ago, he used his tech skills to start a company called RXPIN. He built software to help therapy centers go digital. The goal was to make therapists’ jobs easier using artificial intelligence (AI) and to give parents helpful information.
“At first, I just wanted to help therapy centers with software,” Dhurba explains. “But then I realized there were only about 64 centers in all of Nepal at the time. I knew that just selling software would take too long to make a real difference. I realized I needed to step in and provide the actual services myself. The more I learned about it, the more fulfilling the work felt.”
The reality of autism in Nepal is much more serious than it appears on paper. Official government records from 2068 show only 4,886 people with autism in Nepal. However, because many people don’t even know what autism is, the actual number is believed to be much higher.
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition related to how the brain develops. It changes how a person thinks, speaks, and interacts with others. People with autism might find it hard to communicate or express their feelings. It usually shows up when a child is very young, and it affects everyone differently. Dhurba believes that with the right help and guidance, individuals with autism can live successful and meaningful lives.
From his experience, Dhurba notes that Nepali society understands very little about autism. Even in educated city families, parents often don’t know what to do when their child shows signs of autism. Many simply ignore it, thinking the child is just a “late talker.”
In rural areas, the situation is even more challenging. Because there is a lack of awareness, education, and resources, many families cannot give their children the care they need. Dhurba has identified 5 main challenges regarding autism care in Nepal:
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Lack of Information: Most parents don’t know what autism is. When they see the signs, they don’t know what to do, which delays the child getting help.
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Lack of Resources and Staff: Even if parents find out their child has autism, they don’t know where to go. There are not enough therapy centers or trained therapists in the country.
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High Costs: Therapy requires a significant financial investment. Just one type of therapy can cost around 40,000 rupees a month. When you add other needs, average middle-income families simply cannot afford it.
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A Need for Inclusive Schools: As children grow older, it is hard to find schools equipped for them. Many schools lack the capacity to admit them, and even if they do, they don’t always have special educators who understand how to support their learning needs.
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Impact on Parents’ Careers: Because the child needs consistent care, a mother or father usually has to step back from their job. This causes huge financial and daily challenges for the family.
The Solution: A 500 Million Rupee ‘Sunflower’ Project
Despite these hurdles, Dhurba is building a center of hope. He knows that relying only on charity or non-profit projects won’t solve the problem sustainably, because when project money runs out, the services stop. To fix this, he has introduced an investment model of about 50 to 60 crore rupees (500 to 600 million rupees). He says investors have already promised 8 to 10 crore rupees for this cause.
Dhurba is not just opening a small clinic. He plans to bring together multiple different projects to create one complete ecosystem.
With this funding, he is establishing the Sunflower Institute for Autism.
The plan is to build a large campus near Kathmandu. Every year, this center will provide therapy, day-care, and living facilities for over 1,500 children. It will also serve as a hub to train new therapists and special educators. There will be ‘Sunflower Homes’ for people coming from outside Kathmandu, alongside special sports and recreational programs for the kids.
Dhurba’s team is also designing specialized learning tools that parents can use at home. Showing a custom calendar, he says, “It is easy for us to know what day or date it is. But for a child with autism, understanding time can be very abstract. With our special calendar, the child wakes up every morning and moves the date and day themselves. This helps them understand time easily.”
His team is also working on a suite of interconnected projects under the Sunflower umbrella:
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RXPIN: Software to help therapy centers manage patient care easily on computers.
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Golden Sunflower Foundation: A charitable arm that will collect donations to help lower-income families pay for their children’s treatments.
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iepsunflower: A digital Individualized Education Program (IEP) plan that tracks exactly what a child has learned and what they need to focus on next, helping both teachers and parents.
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Hoober Dust: A creative project that uses fun stories to teach children with autism practical life skills.
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Golden Carpet: A monthly meet-up where parents, teachers, and doctors can openly share their feelings, struggles, and experiences.
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Sunflower Spectrum: An information platform designed to help parents find the right services.
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Golden Sunflower Rating: A “star rating” system to identify schools, offices, restaurants, and public places that are friendly, accommodating, and welcoming to people with autism.
Once this model succeeds in Kathmandu and there are enough trained professionals, Dhurba plans to expand it throughout Nepal. Along with building this private support network, Dhurba is actively collaborating with the government. He was even part of the team that created Nepal’s first official guidelines for autism care.
Advice to Parents: Give Your Child Time
Dhurba wants people to know that autism is not a disease; it is a condition. The main goal should be supporting the individual and helping the child become independent. “Many parents run around looking for a magic therapy,” he says. “But the biggest therapy is the time parents spend with their child.”
Giving an example, he says: “I asked one parent, ‘What do you do all day?’ He told me, ‘I go to the gym in the morning, go to the office, and play with my child in the evening.’ I advised him: Stop going to the gym for an hour. Use that time to take your child for a morning walk. Do this for three months, and tell me if you don’t see a change.”
He also stresses the importance of “exposure”—taking the child out into the world rather than keeping them isolated indoors. “If I don’t know how to drive a car, why is that? It’s because I haven’t been taught,” he explains. “The world is already very small for a child with autism. If we don’t take them outside, sit them in restaurants, or take them on public buses, how will they understand the world? We must understand them and let them experience the outside world as much as possible.”
The Dream of Being a Lantern
Why did he choose the name “Sunflower”? Dhurba explains that a sunflower naturally turns toward the sun. “We are not trying to say we are the sun; we don’t have that kind of power. But even if we can’t be the sun, we are trying to be a small lantern in someone’s life.”
“Children are the sunflowers, they will turn toward our light,” he says.
His dream is that 10 years from now, when people see a sunflower, they won’t just see a flower—they will think of autism, acceptance, and inclusion. He wants society to reach a point where autism is no longer viewed as something strange, but simply as a neurodevelopmental profile that is supported and understood.
Today, Dhurba has left his long journey in tech to bring light to thousands of families. His ‘Sunflower’ campaign promises to be a warm ray of hope for many.
