KATHMANDU: Jamuna Sitaula from Nepal has been honored with the ‘APCOM Community Ally Hero Award – 2022’. Sitaula works as the focal person for the Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN).

APCOM (Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health), an international organization based in Thailand works for gender equality, social justice and for the improvement of the rights of sexual and gender minorities in Asia and the Pacific.

Sitaula was awarded in recognition of her long contribution to the promotion of sexual and reproductive rights, gender equality, safe abortion service, rights of the HIV-infected, sexual and gender minorities and to increase greater access to sexual education, according to the FPAN.

She has been with the FPAN for more than two decades.

As the FPAN says, its 88 percent service recipients are from the marginalized and vulnerable communities and it is continuously working to strengthen their rights. It has lately launched hormonal therapy and laser service targeting the people from the community of sexual minorities from the non-government level.

Situala receives the award along with other personalities from Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Established in 1959, FPNA remains as the country’s first national sexual and reproductive health service delivery and advocacy organization.

As it says, the organization works across 37 districts to provide critical health services to poor, marginalized, socially excluded, and underserved (PMSEU) communities, including sex workers, people living with HIV (PLHIV), LGBTI people, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, migrant workers, and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).

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