TIRUVARUR: S. Banupriya, a class 8th student of a Panchayat Union Middle School at Klachery West near Needamangalam in Tiruvarur District was declared as the winner of the 8th ‘Annual Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards (SOCA)’ hosted by DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance (DPLI) in the Individual Category for fighting against the beliefs and superstitions attached to menstruation in her village.

The girl organised awareness rallies in her village, performed street plays and invited a doctor working in the primary health centre (PHC) to educate the people in her village and counsel school girls. Through her persistent efforts, this young girl has been able to shake the beliefs and superstitions of many.





She has been able to sensitize almost 1,500 people in her village and there has been a gradual shift in the way girls are now treated during menstruation, according to Anoop Pabby, MD & CEO, DPLI. In a release at Tiruvarur on Friday, Mr. Anoop Pabby said that the eighth ‘Annual Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards (SOCA)’ hosted by DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance (DPLI) felicitated 29 school students for their extraordinary efforts in the area of community service at a function in Gurugram. These finalists w-ere shortlisted from over 4,000 applications . He further said that Banupriya and another girl student Ishita Mangla of Delhi Public School also received the top honor in the Individual Category for their initiative, honoured at a ceremony in Gurugram, near New Delhi recently. Both the winners were presented with gold medallions, ‘Certificates of Excellence’, a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each and a return trip to Washington by end of April.