Kendrapara: When Jyotirmayee Mohapatra mobilised a motley group of girls to assert their 'Right' in a remote village in Orissa's Kendrapara district, little did she realise that the effort would fetch her a global youth award.

Jyotirmayee, who was chosen team leader of the UNICEF-sponsored 'Meena--the girl child' project, was the lone Indian to receive this year's International Youth Action net award instituted by International Youth Foundation, USA.

The rustic girl from the obscure Baradiha village, who has been to Buenos Aires to receive the award containing a prize money of $20,000, returned to her village amidst much jubilation today (Oct 15, 2004).

The award was presented to her on October 3 in recognition of her path-breaking role in not only protecting and promoting the interest of the girl child but also winning over the members of the community to her cause.

Little girls from Rajkanika block of the district had hogged the spotlight after the launch of the UNICEF-sponsored project in the mid-1990's.