"First National AHD Conference: Experiences worth sharing"
It was probably 3 pm when I received the mail from the organizing committee which stated that I had been selected as a delegate for the national level adolescent conference. I was excited, happy, flattered, proud and nervous, all at the same time- Afterall it would be my first exposure to a national level conference.
What more, the most awaited day arrived on 2 nd May 2016 when the first national conference on adolescent health and development with the theme My Health, My Rights, Our Future commenced at Hotel Yak and Yeti, Kathmandu. The conference hall was packed with dignitaries and delegates from various parts of the world. The session started with the beautiful song from Aanichoying dolma i.e fulkoaakhama ma fulaisansar.
I was extremely overjoyed because the dream I had been chasing for last few years for participating in National level conference was turning into reality. The atmosphere inside the conference hall was simply amazing. All the representatives from various organizations had occupied the round table and I felt so lucky that I had opportunity to join them. I was thoroughly impressed with the information presented by the various international as well as national speakers. As the various presenters kept forward their views and ideas, Irealized that I was in the company of talented people. In this way the first day of the conference ended with the excitement for the second day and the expectation for the second day was on the peak.
Photo Credit: www.myhealthrightsfuture.com
It was 3 rd May, 2016 i.e final day of the conference and it started with the talents of young people. After that I participated in different sessions and gained insights regarding research conducted in different countries. I participated in different group works conducted by different NGO/INGOs. After that, motivational speaker Arurachalam Muruganantham took session on" The Indian Winnovation " which was focused on his innovation of low cost sanitary pads. This was then followed by the session of Megna Lama i.e. successful female transgender which was focused on her life story of coming out of the cage. After that, there was the spiritual session taken by Manisha Koirala; she shared her experiences of fighting with her cancer. The conference finally ended with the live drama conducted by Mandala Theatre.
Picture credit: www.myhealthrightsfuture.com
The conference officially came to end with lots of memories that I will cherish for my lifetime.