On May 22, 2020, Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, has listed Khudol (gift),a crowdfunded initiative of Imphal (Manipur) based NGO Ya_All, among the top 10 global initiatives for an inclusive fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Key Points:
i.About Khudol:
- NGO (Non Governmental Organization )Ya_All’s this initiative aims to provide food, health and hygiene of the LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, people living with HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus), daily-wage earners, children and adolescents.
- Through the network of 100 volunteers, the organization has provided over 1,000 health kits, 6,500 sanitary pads and 1,500 condoms to 2,000 families and individuals.
ii.About Ya_All:
Founded in 2017, It has organized several mental health workshops and reached out to the vulnerable sections offline and online for the past 50 days. It has also founded Meitram, the first co-working and networking space owned and run by queer individuals in India.
iii.When compared to other states, Manipur has been more helpful to the transgender community by opening two dedicated quarantine centres for them during the lockdown period.
About United Nations (UN):
Headquarters– New York, United States
Secretary general– António Guterres
About Manipur:
Capital– Imphal
Governor– Najma Heptulla
Chief Minister– N. Biren Singh
State Flower– Shirui lily
State Tree– Uningthou
