Gurmit Sarpal
My Suffering Opened The Door For Uplifting The Lives Of Immigrant Women – Story Of “Proud Woman Of Canada”
Life was incredibly hard as an immigrant, but she overcame it to help other migrants.
Life was not as ideal as I imagined it to be before moving to Canada with my husband from India in 1976. Before moving to Canada, I studied for four years at the postgraduate institute of medical sciences and worked as a registered nurse in India for about two years.
Despite being qualified and educated, it was incredibly difficult for me and my husband to find suitable jobs in our fields without contacts. It was not easy for us to struggle here without a relevant job as wherever I applied, the majority of them stated that we needed Canadian experience.
But I was in need of work because we needed to support our infant daughter, so I started cleaning in downtown and my husband took care of our daughter while I was at work. I was fired from there because I wasn’t used to that kind of hard work, so I took a job at a fast-food restaurant to fund my living expenses. However, I was fired from there also saying “your English and accent are not good”.
Even my husband’s journey was not easy; in order to get a job, he had to remove his turban and cut his hair. During this period of transition, I faced numerous health challenges, such as hearing loss, which made it difficult for me to hear and understand people.
But my struggle as a result of my stressful immigrant life did not end there: I began to experience chronic pain, high blood pressure, food sensitivity, and my genetic brittle bone problem also elevate and which showed up in my one of children, not only making my life painful but also increasing hospital expenses in an already tight financial situation.
This combination of health issues, loneliness, and cultural shock caused me to experience severe anxiety and depression. To combat this black cloud, I decided to change my life by exploring spirituality. My sufferings helped me find solutions to my problems, and I realised that in order to alleviate my misery, I will need to be active, and by helping others, I would also be helping myself.
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Royal Woman Cultural Association
My life began a new chapter from that point forward.
My life began a new chapter from that point forward. I started being involved in the community. In the gurdwara, I began kirtan (singing religious hymns). In addition to teaching children traditional Indian music, I completely transformed my outlook and influenced those around me by writing health and spirituality articles for South Asian newspapers and doing radio shows like mental and health programs on South Asian radio.
In 2006, I founded the Royal Woman Cultural Association with a few other ladies, which has empowered hundreds of immigrant women to speak out against domestic abuse and violence and nurture their artistic talents by alleviating their loneliness and isolation.
My story of uplifting the lives of other immigrants did not end there, as I began volunteering with Alberta Health Services as a community health advocate in 2007 by using my nursing background to facilitate workshops such as “Better Choice, Better Health.”
In 2009, the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (CIWA) published a book titled “Proud Women, a Collection of Stories.” I have been recognised by numerous community organisations and media outlets, as well as numerous members of Alberta’s legislative assembly, M. P’s, and Ministers, and have received awards, including:
- Immigrants of Distinction Award (IDA) from Immigrant Services Calgary in 2015, for my nearly 40 years of volunteer community service.
- Then In 2018 I was awarded with the Alberta Diversity Award for 4 decades of volunteer community services.
- In March 2019, I was awarded the O’ CANADA Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteer services from the South Asia Canadian Times.
- I also have been awarded with the prestigious Canada Prime Minister’s Volunteer Award in 2020.
- In 2022 I was awarded with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Pin for being a National Award Winner and for her selfless contribution to the community.
And my “mission” to assist migrants moving to Canada is still ongoing. I never imagined that my one awakening would have such a profound impact on the lives of so many immigrants.
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ROYAL WOMEN ASSOCIATION
Calgary woman honoured with national award for volunteer work spanning four decades
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