Journalists Manika BK, Elina Diyali, and Madhuri Mahato have been selected from an array of applicants to be NIMJN’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) Fellows. They were carefully screened, interviewed, and chosen by a selection committee from a total of 29 applicants, based on factors like their marginalized background status and the issues that they wanted to report on. This all-female group of DEI fellows representing various marginalized groups themselves will be reporting on unreported or underreported stories from marginalized communities (Dalit, Madheshi, LGBTQ+, etc.) in Nepal.

Journalist Manika BK, based in Kathmandu(Bagmati province), is interested in dedicating her time to reporting on the issues of the LGBTQ+ communities in Kathmandu as well as the rest of the country.

Journalist Elina Diyali, based in Taplejung (Koshi province), is interested in reporting on issues faced by marginalized communities in her region, with a special focus on women.

Journalist Madhuri Kumari Mahato, based in Birgunj (Madhesh province), is looking forward to representing the underreported issues in the Madhesh province, giving special attention to the gender and caste aspects.

Overall, this fellowship was designed to provide opportunities to journalists from marginalized communities and to empower them to report unrepresented stories from these communities. We are greatly looking forward to their stories and their growth from this fellowship.