Woman bags national award for using sports to empower the poor
Jalandhar, June 18
Jalandhar woman Jaspreet Kaur (32), a youth leader with YFC Rurka Kalan, has bagged the Woman Exemplar Award, a national recognition, for her contribution in using sports as a tool for empowering people on sexual reproductive health. She is the only woman from Punjab, among the 17 finalists from across the country, to have received the honour.
She was presented the award by Union Minister for Women, Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Zubin Irani.
Jaspreet was selected as a finalist for the Woman Exemplar Program in Health category (Education and Livelihood were the two other categories) for the year 2023.
An employee from Youth Football Club, Rurka Kalan, Jalandhar, Jaspreet has been using sports as a tool for the holistic development of children, youth and women who are from a poor socio-economic background.
Starting awareness under the programme with 196 girls or beneficiaries, the number of girls and women positively impacted through her programme is now 11,000.
She started her work with the Banjara community in her village Rurka Kalan and at the Rurka Kalan school, her work now encompasses areas like Phillaur, Goraya, Beer Bansian, Pasla, Bilga and Jamsher, among others.
What was the impact of her initiative? “Women who issued cold stares when talking about their menstrual health years ago, are now leaders mentoring others on the issue without hesitation. Girls and students now don’t hesitate if they want that free pad from a school vending machine,” said Jaspreet.
“Women and girls are facing numerous issues regarding health in Punjab’s rural areas due to lack of self-awareness, lack of knowledge, gender stereotypes, gender discrimination and lack of confidence. They were scared to speak up a few years ago. There was no concept of menstrual hygiene and women used cloth. We knew women who used to sleep under the skies because they were not allowed inside homes during ‘those days’. Or those whose family or in-laws belittled their need for menstrual hygiene. In turn, this gave rise to other diseases and infections.”
Jaspreet added, “Cervical cancer is also common in the region that I work in. So my job has been to inform and empower women on these.”
Through the “sport for development” methodology, she empowered women and girls and made them aware about sexual reproductive health rights, gender-based violence, menstrual hygiene, urinary tract infection, cervical cancer, HIV, sexually transmitted disease etc.
Using sports as a tool to empower
- Jaspreet was selected as a finalist for the Woman Exemplar Program in Health category (Education and Livelihood were the two other categories) for the year 2023
- She has been using sports as a tool for the holistic development of children, youth and women who are from a poor socio-economic background
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