Kathmandu: Health Journalist Kalpana Acharya has been awarded with the ‘SHE & Rights International Media Award’ in recognition of her outstanding reporting on sexual and reproductive health issues in Melbourne on April 29. Acharya received the award at Women Deliver, a global gathering of women and gender rights advocates, securing third place in the Asia-Pacific region, for her impactful reporting in the field.
Editor-in-Chief of Health TV Online and the host of the popular podcast Health FIRST, Acharya brings over two decades of journalism experience reporting on public health and gender issues.
Firda Amalia of Indonesia secured first place, while Engly Toy of Cambodia was awarded second place in the same category. In the African region, the top honor went to Okello Jesus Ojara of Uganda, followed by Nelson Mandela, also from Uganda, in second place, and Ambroisine Memede of Togo in third place.
This marks the third edition of the SHE & Rights Media Awards. In this cycle, a total of nine journalists from Africa and three from the Asia-Pacific region received Special Mention awards.
The SHE & Rights Media Awards are part of a global advocacy initiative promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights. The program is organized through a collaboration of international organizations including the Asia Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), the Global Centre for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and the CNS.
According to Shobha Shukla, coordinator of SHE & Rights and a senior journalist, a total of 351 journalists from 29 countries applied for this year’s awards. The winners were selected based on content published or broadcast between December 10, 2024 (Human Rights Day) and March 31, 2025.
