Chand Gul

Chand Gul was born and raised in Bannu, KPK, Pakistan. She completed her Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in clinical psychology at the University of Peshawar. In the prior description one may think she is simply an academic; however, she is also an incredibly gifted athlete. She went on at the age of 17 to represent her northern home province in Pakistan and competed in the Women’s National Games Pakistan as a floor hockey player and a relay race runner.

Not only is she an academic and a gifted athlete, but she is a community leader as well, serving on the board of directors for the Southern Water District Partnership back home; she made a difference. Chand Gul is also the founder of the Science Society in the province of KPK in Pakistan, as well as an active member of the Khyber Literary Society, and a member of the Pakistan Anti-Smoking Society.

Not impressed yet? Well she also got the opportunity to work as a lecturer at the Frontier Homeopathic Medical College Peshawar. In addition to this she has worked with the United Nations Development Project for poverty alleviation in Pakistan. This she found to be an enriching experience and one that enlightened her on the financial, social, physical, and emotional suffering in rural communities. This realization acted as a catalyst for her to work on seeking ways to help women who were suffering.

After completing her Masters degrees, Chand Gul began working to help women. This included providing clinical psychological help and assistance to women in rural communities at little to no financial cost. In 2012, Chand moved to Canada having been inspired by Canadian values of kindness and generosity to others. As a newcomer to Canada, she faced several challenges including a lack of confidence, a language barrier and not being aware of the Canadian work culture in addition to being unfamiliar with how to access health services and transportation.

Working as a Director of Pakistan Canada Association of Edmonton from 2018 to bridge the gaps between communities. Chand Gul found cultural barriers to be a huge problem for her as a new immigrant woman. She was blessed to be given an opportunity; she found the I-WIN program which is short for Immigrant Women’s Integration Network. Just as the name suggests participants including Chand were shown how to integrate into Canadian life, adjust, and were given opportunities to learn things like: how to find a job, build a resume, build community relationships, etc. Later, she joined as a coordinator and has worked with the organization for four years. In addition to this, she is a registered professional member of the CCPA (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association) and continues her volunteer work in Canada, now, as founder and president of the Alberta Pashtoon Association.

She has mentored more than 700 newcomers to thrive and integrate some of the awesome Canadian values we find within our beautiful country into their lives! Her message: Canada is a land of opportunity. Stay positive. Leave behind a peaceful, green, and welcoming nation and land for the future. Be a grateful Canadian, and make good connections and friends who inspire you to do good. Your positivity may present to you great possibilities. Be ready to take that first step in positivity and making a difference. Chand’s story is representative of the Chinese proverb, “A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.