HARMINDER Singh is a remarkable lady who has dedicated her life to charitable work in India’s Punjab. Since moving to Altrincham with her GP husband, Dr Inder Pal Singh, Harminder has developed parallel careers, one in England and one in Punjab.
In England, Harminder gained a first class honours degree in Nursing at the University of Chester and now works as a hospital nurse. She returns to Punjab five or six times a year to work for ASR Charitable Trust 1 , a health and education focused charity of which she is the Treasurer and her husband the Chairman.
Harminder graduated from the Warrington campus in September 2009 and now plans to progress her training to Masters degree level on a part-time basis. She will be specialising in diabetes care, a course which will be particularly useful for her voluntary work, as diabetes is relatively common in Punjab.
Harminder said: “I come from the Amritsar region of Punjab, where many people have little money and often cannot afford to pay for education or healthcare. I started volunteering at the age of 10, helping out in an old people’s home, and since then have always wanted to help other people.
“I was bright at school – I did my GCSEs at the age of 12 and gained my first degree by the age of 16. I went on to do a Masters degree in Mathematics and Economics.
“I moved to England with Inder Pal and my children in 1997. As well as bringing up my three sons I have worked in healthcare related roles over here and studied, always with a view to making myself more useful in Amritsar. I started my Nursing course in 2006, around the same time we set up ASR Charitable Trust. I chose the University of Chester because its Faculty of Health and Social Care has a strong reputation.”
Virtually all Harminder’s spare time – and that of her family - is dedicated to the charity. When she is not on shift or studying, Harminder is either fundraising or working in Punjab. The family’s fundraising activities include charity dinners, catering for functions in return for donations, charity car washes and sponsored runs. Harminder's family also makes a big contribution to the charity from their wages.
Harminder works night shifts because it offers greater flexibility for booking blocks of time off to travel back to Amritsar.
The charity’s projects include a free dispensary which offers basic medical care to around 200 patients a day, an orphanage which features a school offering education up to A level standard, medical treatment and health awareness camps and higher education sponsorship.
Alan Gee, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care, said: “Harminder is a remarkable lady who has taken healthcare to a new level. She works diligently for the NHS and uses her learning and expertise to support communities in need in another continent.
“She was the first Sikh lady to qualify as a nurse at the University of Chester and she qualified with an outstanding first class degree. I have great admiration for Harminder’s achievements and feel honoured to have taught her. I look forward to her coming back to do her Masters degree.”
