New Delhi: Zeinorin Stephen Angkang, a 29-year-old woman from Manipur’s Ukhrul district, has been selected by the Geneva-based Kofi Annan Foundation as one of world’s 12 ‘exceptional young leaders’ for the Kofi Annan Changemakers 2021 initiative.
Angkang will represent India at a six-month inter-generational dialogue, starting 28 June in Geneva, with international leaders. The dialogue aims to discuss ways to strengthen the impact of work these 12 young ‘changemakers’ are doing.
Angkang has been selected for her involvement with indigenous farmers of the Tangkhul Naga tribe in Manipur.
Introducing the Kofi Annan Changemakers 2021! ?
These are the 12 #KAChangemakers who will join a host of recognised international leaders in a 6-month #intergenerationaldialogue ? to strengthen and improve their work. ?
More info: https://t.co/fPLArs6Zz1 pic.twitter.com/JoOXwjBTqk
— Kofi Annan Foundation (@KofiAnnanFdn) June 7, 2021
Along with her husband Leiyalon Vashum, Angkang runs the Hill Wild Pvt Ltd, a confectionery firm in Ukhrul that uses locally-produced fruits and herbs in their products, and engages indigenous farmers for better livelihood.
The Kofi Annan Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organisation that was established in 2007 in Switzerland by the late former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.
Nagaland village board gets first-ever Konyak woman secy
W. Manni recently became the first Konyak woman to be elected as secretary of a village development board (VDB) in Nagaland. The 32-year-old was elected the secretary of Wangti VDB on 5 June.
The village comes under Chen block in Nagaland’s Mon district.
Konyak is one of the major tribes of Nagaland. Manni was elected among seven candidates, six of them men.
“What gives me immense happiness is that I was elected purely out of public trust, “Manni told The Morung Express. She also said given a chance she would contest in the state elections in future.
“I did not spend even Rs 10 but it was the public trust that elected me. So I am telling them, even in bigger elections, we must continue to practice clean elections.”
Manni’s main focus, she said, would be issuance of “job cards and old age pension”. Earlier this year, she also became the first woman vice-president of the Chen Area Students’ Union that has 10 villages under it.
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‘Rice for jabs’ — Arunachal officer fights vaccine hesitancy
Tashi Wangchuk Thongdok, a circle officer in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yazali town, has come up with an offer of free 20 kg rice for residents above 45 years who come forward to take shots of Covid-19 vaccines.
The offer proved to be an instant hit with over 50 people turning up for vaccination Monday, despite heavy rainfall. Thongdok is a 2016 batch Arunachal Pradesh Civil Service officer.
“Some were unwilling to give up alcoholic drinks for a few days after vaccination, while others were dissuaded by a fake viral message on WhatsApp which claimed vaccination will lead to death in two years. We carried out awareness drives telling people that the message was false and the benefits of vaccination outweigh minor discomforts,” Thongdok told Hindustan Times.
Yazali, in the state’s Lower Subansiri district, has a population of around 12,000, with nearly 1,400 residents above 45 years. The town has recorded 243 Covid-19 positive cases since April this year.
3-yr-old visits health centre by herself, photo wins internet
The staff at Hebolimi Health Centre in Ghathashi tehsil of Nagaland’s Zunheboto district were in for a surprise recently when a three-year-old girl, all masked-up, arrived for a check-up.
Identified as Lipavi, the girl told healthcare staff at the centre that she had been experiencing symptoms of cold and visited the facility alone since her parents were out working in the fields.
A photo of the little girl with a doctor has since gone viral on the internet.
While many social media users also questioned how she managed to go alone, Benjamin Yepthomi, state president of BJYM, Nagaland, who had also shared her photo, sought to clarify: “It’s in the remote village, it’s just a walkable distance from home.”
It’s in the remote village, it’s just a walkable distance from home.
— Benjamin Yepthomi (@YepthomiBen) June 3, 2021
Also read: In this remote Manipur village, lockdown brought the gift of education for the elderly