From city slum to international arena, Bhubaneswar girl makes community proud with her leadership abilities

Meet Deepanjali Swain, a 19-year-old girl from a slum in Bhubaneswar who will be representing India at the 25th International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) at Nairobi, also known as Nairobi Summit.

Swain works as a peer leader (Pragati Sathi) under the socially smart project of Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) to educate the local community on various issues, impart leadership training to the children and youth in the slum and raise issues and problems faced by them. She reached the international arena with her leadership abilities and dedicated social work.

Deepanjali Swain, peer leader

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, where 179 governments adopted a landmark Programme of Action which set out to empower women and girls for their sake, and for the benefit of their families, communities and nations.

Swain, whose father is a contractual employee in a government-run printing press and mother a housewife, visited Nairobi to attend the ICPD25 summit.

Apart from social work, she is also studying OT Technician course under Para-medical disciplines at the Centurion University of Technology and Management.

Swain said given the challenging economic condition of her family, it wasn't easy for her to reach this level. She, however, said her dedication and hard work helped her in getting the opportunity.

BMC Commissioner and BSCL CEO Prem Chandra Chaudhary, who also joined the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 as a delegate said, "The Socially Smart Project of BSCL and BMC carried out with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a mechanism of social change and equity that strives to give a better life and opportunity to slum dwellers."