Sumitra Juanga featured in UNICEF India April 2024 story for transforming Talabaruda village health and social norms.

Exam-focused facts from the 6 April 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Sumitra Juanga, a 16-year-old Juang tribal girl from Talabaruda village in Odisha, led behaviour change on early marriage, nutrition and hygiene.
She promoted iron and folic acid tablet use among teenage girls and encouraged pregnant women to attend Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day sessions.
Her efforts achieved full immunisation of adolescent girls in the village, as reported by the UNICEF-supported Jiban Sampark programme.
The initiative was implemented by SEWAK NGO and the Women’s Organisation for Socio-Cultural Awareness in Talabaruda, home to about 5,000 Juang people.