Nisha left India for Uganda in 1972 after her marriage as her husband was already settled there. Within months of her arrival in Uganda the political situation took an ugly turn there and President Idi Amin ordered everyone but the black Ugandans to leave the country. The Canadian government was gracious enough to accept them as refugees in the year 1972 and looked after their basic needs on arrival. Though they landed in Montreal they were asked to move to Sarnia, small town in Ontario known for chemical industry. Since Nisha had a post graduate degree in chemistry and her husband was a pharmacist, they had a better chance of getting jobs there.
Because of her husbands’ job and promotions, they moved to Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, and lastly to Ottawa. She started a PhD in Toronto but could not complete it. She did some odd jobs. She worked as a Chemist in Hamilton before joining her husband who had started his own business and moved to Ottawa in 1990. After the unfortunate death of her husband, she continues to manage the business.
Nisha Mapara faced so many ups and down in life before settling for a comfortable life. She decided to give back to the society. She was involved in voluntary work with Rotary Club, Hospitals in Hamilton, Canadian Red Cross, City of Ottawa, etc. She is running a City of Ottawa sponsored “Mall Walking Program” far the last 31 years. She is so passionate about doing voluntary work that she has inculcated this feeling in both her daughters and pushes them to serve the community through voluntary work. She usually instills the feeling of positivity in people with her optimistic thoughts.
She also worked with new immigrants who are not proficient in English and helps them with the translation. She is well versed in English, Hindi, Sindhi, and Gujarati.
My message to new immigrants is: You need Discipline, Honesty, and Hard Work for a successful life.