A girl from Nagaland Sekulu Nyekha has been selected as one among the 40 winners for 120 Under 40: The New generation of Family Planning Leaders.
It is an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that recognizes and honours the achievements of family planning leaders worldwide.
Nyekha has been honoured for her various kinds of initiatives on increasing awareness around the importance and risks of sexual and reproductive health, according to reports.
She currently works as a volunteer for the organization International Youth Alliance on Family Planning.
Nyekha, who had also worked as a volunteer for the organization Hidden Pockets Collective, had addressed issues of family planning by organizing events ,mapping and reviewing health clinics , creating photo stories, curating and designing campaigns.
The 21-year-old girl was elected to the ICFP 2018 and attended the conference as a plenary speaker and writer.
She was also invited by UN foundation as a global youth representative.
Nyekha, who is currently working on a project independently to work on the inclusivity and accommodation issues of difficulty faced by differently abled people, will contribute her prize money towards this cause.
Nyekha did her graduation in performing arts and visual communication with psychology from Bangalore.
Launched on September 26, 2015, 120 Under 40: The New generation of Family Planning Leaders honours leaders initiative honours 40 persons annually who have made contributions to family planning in categories like advocacy, programming/program implementation, research, service delivery, demand generation, policy/government or media.
The winners are chosen by online public voting and a jury of experts and leaders in family planning.
The winners receive $1,000 from the Gates foundation to continue their work in family planning or begin innovative new projects.