When Navdeep Kaur was 11 years old, her mother experienced brain and spinal cord injuries after a fall in their home, in Sujjon, Punjab. Doctors put rods in her back to keep it straight. But the complications worsened and she remained bedridden.
To pay for her medical bills, the family sold their farmland. They were left only with the plot their house sits on.
“That’s the reality of the Indian healthcare system,” explains Barj Dhahan, founder of Canada India Education Society (CIES). “It’s not government funded, like in Canada. If you have serious injuries, you have to find the money somehow. Their land gave them food that they could grow. Now they have nothing.”
Shortly after her surgery, Navdeep’s mother experienced symptoms resembling a stroke. Navdeep describes the event as “paralysis.”
They rushed her for care in Chandigarh, about 2 hours away from their home in Sujjon. When they arrived, the advice was to take her to a hospital. So, they began the drive back towards Nawanshahr. It was a 1.5 hour drive away.
On the way, her mother passed.
Her father told her it was over. There was no point in going to the hospital anymore. Navdeep didn’t want to believe it. There had to be hope.
She said she felt like the earth gave way beneath her feet. It was as though she had nothing left, and everything had been taken from her.
That experience later motivated her to become a nurse. She felt that if she can save another person’s life, she can honour her mother’s memory.
A family of men fighting for a girls’ education
While working as a bricklayer, Navdeep Kaur’s father continued to support his family, with his mother’s help in the home. He paid the fees for Navdeep and her siblings to attend government schools, which are highly affordable in India.
After passing high school in 2020, Navdeep Kaur was accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) program at Guru Nanak College of Nursing in Dhahan, Punjab.
That’s when the pressure of finances once again bore on the family.
As the youngest of four siblings, Navdeep says her father loved her as equally as his sons.
She recalls people asking him why he was wasting money educating a girl. He would tell them, “it’s my daughter’s destiny to go to school, and if that’s where she’s going, then I’m going to help her, and I would help my sons too if that’s what they want to do.”
Navdeep also remembers him telling her, “when you begin to work, and you earn that money, it is yours. You keep that for yourself. You stand on your own feet.”
Her brother, also wanting to support his sister’s education, dropped his own schooling to begin supporting the family.
Facing tragedy a second time
In 2021, during her first year of nursing studies, Navdeep’s father was diagnosed with a serious diabetic condition. The problem worsened when he experienced a fall. He underwent hip replacement surgery, but didn’t heal properly.
Although her father was forced to tighten the household’s spending, he continued paying Navdeep’s college fees.
A year later, in 2023, he passed away from a heart attack.
It was at this point that Navdeep’s brother took the reins to fight for her education.
A family member argued that Navdeep’s college fees were too high, and that she should withdraw from her studies.
Her brother said, “no. We want her to get this degree, to be able to work. Then, even when she’s married, she can look after herself by earning her own living. She won’t put her hands out like a beggar. She’ll have skills and a job.”
He also stated that times have changed, and girls are equal to boys now. If he couldn’t study, he wanted to make sure his sister could complete her program.
Receiving relief by way of bursary giving
On February 6, 2024, Navdeep Kaur received a bursary of ₹30,000 (i.e. $500 CAD). It was made possible by donors from Canada, through Canada India Education Society (CIES).
The bursary covered 25% of Navdeep’s 3rd year college fees.
When she found out about the bursary, she felt great relief. It was a help that now her year’s fees could be paid.
“It’s these small amounts for Canadians that make a big difference to those who struggle in India,” explains Barj Dhahan. “The impact of charity giving can be felt in real ways when we are speaking of the Indian context. There are so many cases like Navdeep’s. They just need a small lift to be able to stand on their own feet, and improve the lives of their whole family.”
Looking to a future of alleviating pain for others
Navdeep is now in her fourth year of studies, set to graduate in spring of 2025.
She looks forward to working as a nurse. She hopes she can help her family both financially and emotionally.
Her favourite part of nursing is that it not only alleviates suffering, it also helps make people whole.
Her desire is to be part of patients’ healing processes. Her view is that healing takes patience and discipline on the part of the caregiver – characteristics she particularly appreciates about the nursing profession.
Help us help more students like Navdeep
To train young people in healthcare, we set up a scholarship and bursary fund for students studying nursing in rural Punjab, India.
Scholarships, bursaries and student loans are hard to find in India. So are student jobs. Many families struggle to advance their financial situation through post-secondary education.
We can’t help them on our own; we rely on several donors contributing whatever they can. Whether you give $5 or $5,000, your contribution will make a difference in the lives of real people.
You can donate directly towards scholarships and bursaries at the link below.