Nicole Marie Paprocki, Loyola University Chicago, wins 2009 Americans for UNFPA Student Award for the Health and Dignity of Women
Prize includes trip to one of the 150 countries where UNFPA operates.
Essay 1: Discuss why the American people and our government should support UNFPA in its mission to improve the health and rights of women around the world.
America was founded on the very notion of freedom. Moreover, the nation’s history has led it on a path towards progress, guaranteeing the unalienable rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” to more members of the human family. Hence, many Americans deny the modern existence of gender inequality amidst the illusion of the American Dream, the belief that all people—regardless of race, sex, or class—are given equal opportunity upon birth. However, this view fails to recognize two key facts. First, the status of women remains unequal and lesser to the status of men to varying degrees across all nations, including the United States. Secondly, it forgets the necessity of cross-cultural solidarity in a time of unprecedented globalization.
For example, gender-based violence is a reality for women in every culture, in every class, and in every country around the world. As many as one in three women across the globe will be beaten, sexually assaulted, or otherwise abused in her lifetime; in some countries, as many as 70% of women are victims of violence. Many Americans may view these shocking numbers as “just another statistic” or as a problem of the “developing” world. Although self-immolation and bride burnings occur infrequently in the United States, sexual assault alone negatively affects the lives of one in four women in the United States. No individual woman is immune to the threat of violence; this is horrifying, archaic, and unacceptable.
The knowledge of our shared experiences should be enough for Americans to bridge the empathy gap and to stand in solidarity with our sisters around the world. To support UNFPA is to support women everywhere. The United States government and its citizens should support UNFPA because the mission of UNFPA ultimately upholds the fundamental rights that Americans hold dear. In providing services to low-income pregnant women, UNFPA lowers the maternal mortality rate and upholds the most basic right for all people: the right to life. In promoting education for women and girls and, UNFPA liberates women from economic dependence upon men. In empowering women to be positive agents for change themselves, UNFPA allows women to determine their own future in the pursuit of their own happiness.
Unfortunately, during these times of economic hardship, many individuals may erroneously suggest to cut funding to organizations such as UNFPA. However, this mistake would save neither money nor lives.
The United States must recognize that women’s rights are human rights, and that the health and fate of societies ultimately rest upon the realization of both. Therefore, the decision to fund UNFPA should not be considered political, but rather quintessential. With U.S. support, UNFPA will continue its work to end violence against women here and abroad, to prevent the spread of HIV, and to give men, women, and children equal opportunity to improve their own future. As Americans and as global citizens, how can we not support that?
Essay 2: Discuss how you personally hope to play a role in improving the rights and health of women worldwide, and how experiencing UNFPA programs firsthand would make you a better advocate than you currently are.
I believe that in order to make a meaningful contribution, an individual must have the courage to transcend not only boundaries on a map, but also the boundaries our society has created—for women, for minorities, and for the poor. The status quo of injustice must be challenged despite the cost. And I am willing to do just that.
As a pre-medical student, I have been called to heal the sick and alleviate their suffering. Furthermore, through my clinical encounters, my experience with my own mother who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and my sociology coursework, I understand that suffering and the status of women are often inextricably connected. Women commonly forgo or postpone necessary medical attention: they may lack the financial security or a healthy sense of self-importance in order to seek it. Therefore, I ultimately desire to earn a dual degree of a M.D. in gynecology and a Masters of Public Health in order to fulfill my ultimate career goal: to bridge the international healthcare gap as a practicing physician and as an active public health reformer.
As a future medical professional, I understand violence against women as a health epidemic. It is a parasite that feeds off gender inequality, and it particularly plagues women in poverty. Like many disease states, violence—in its many forms—may affect a woman’s long-term mental, physical, and reproductive health. During the last two years, I have organized a support group for women refugees with the help of the Pan-African Association. Many of these women are survivors of rape and abuse. They came to America in search for a better life, but my Chicago neighborhood does not afford them the best health care, housing, or safety. As a result, I have worked with my women’s leadership program in order to provide the refugees with necessities such as food, hygiene products, and coats for their first snowy winter. However—like UNFPA—I understand that a handout is only a band-aid solution; therefore, I have initiated an ongoing partnership between college women and the women refugees. I attend and organize weekly meetings so that the women can share their concerns and advice. Repeatedly the conversation switches to the topic of domestic violence, a past norm and reality for many of the women. Nevertheless, I watch these women empower one another and share their lively spirit. Meanwhile, I provide them with the resources to take more control of their health, careers, education, and safety.
Although I volunteer at a women’s clinic, organize an annual women’s health fair, reform campus sexual assault policy, and consistently work on the behalf of the women of the Pan-African Association, my understanding of women’s issues still remains fairly local. I yearn to listen to the diverse experiences of women from other countries, so that one day as a volunteer physician, I can have the tools and skills needed in order to give marginalized women the medical attention and personal support that they need and deserve.