If there is one aspect of Nepal that makes Arzu Deuba really concerned, it is the low status of women in Nepali society. This is the root of Nepal\'s poverty, and the reason why the country remains poor. Arzu has one agenda: the gender agenda.
A mother, activist and the wife of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Arzu juggles all three aspects of her life with flair. After returning to Nepal from the United States 10 years ago after finishing her doctorate in public health, Arzu has been lobbying intensely for women\'s rights, health, education and social equality.

"Nepal is not a poor country, it\'s our self-image that is poor. We haven\'t really put our minds to improving society," she says.

Arzu is the moving force behind Saathi, a group that addresses the problem of domestic violence against women in Nepal. Saathi supports women who are battered by husbands, fathers, or mothers-in-law. Saathi also provides counselling for women who have suffered domestic abuse and rape.

Another aspect of Nepal\'s under development that really rankles Arzu is the country\'s very high maternal mortality rate. She helps run the Safe Motherhood Network that works in 11 districts where the rate of maternal mortality is highest.

Arzu also heads Samanta, the Institute for Social and Gender Equality which tries to ensure that women are not an afterthought in the development process. With her full activist life, Arzu has little time for personal matters. She says, "Life is boring if you just live for yourself."