A Life of Care

Munira Assan knows what it feels like to live without care. Through time and experience, she also knows the life affirming and life changing significance of caring and being cared for.

A Childhood Interrupted

Munira’s story begins in Ghana, where her childhood was far from perfect. Her parents separated when she was young, and life became more difficult when her father sent her away to live with relatives. He couldn’t accept her choice of religion.

At just nine years old, Munira had a deep understanding of what it meant to grow up without care. With little stability, she was moved from one relative to another. While other children were playing and enjoying their childhood, young Munira was forced to sell food on the streets and help with household chores. Life was difficult.

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, it was the absence of care that shaped Munira into the person she has become.

A Calling to Care

Munira’s path to nursing began with an encounter she would never forget. On her way to school, she often passed an elderly woman sitting alone on her doorstep. Everyone assumed she was mentally ill and ignored her, but Munira looked deeper. “Martha’s rich children had abandoned her, and I knew what that felt like.”

Munira began helping Martha with small chores, and later, with the support of a nurse mentor, arranged for her to receive proper care. “In supporting that Martha I discovered my calling. That’s when I developed my passion to be there for the elderly.”

From that moment, caring for others became her calling and she pursued a bachelor’s degree in Mental Health Nursing in Ghana. For 10 fulfilling years, she worked as a psychiatric nurse. More than skills, she developed a deep commitment to care for the most vulnerable.

A Leap of Faith

With a decade of nursing behind her, Munira dreamed of continuing her education abroad. In 2022, she made the courageous decision to move to Canada to pursue new opportunities in nursing. It was not easy leaving her three young children, but she knew this step would open doors for their future. It was her children’s encouragement that gave her strength and motivated her on a daily basis to succeed.

A School. A Community. A Home.

Munira enrolled in Stenberg College’s Post Graduate Nursing (PGN) program, determined to continue providing care to the most vulnerable, and to eventually become a Registered Nurse in Canada.

The transition wasn’t easy, often lonely, but she refused to give up. Through the encouragement and care of her instructors and classmates, Munira realized that Stenberg was more than a school, it was a community. “Stenberg has not only been a place to enhance my profession, it has become my community, my home.”

Her instructor, Gabriela Vrba, commends her for her academic dedication, empathetic nature and calm presence. “Munira stands out for staying calm under pressure, supporting peers and demonstrating professionalism and compassion.”

During her studies, Munira worked as a Support Worker at Atira Women’s Resource Society, where she drew on her psychiatric nursing background to support people living with mental health and substance use challenges. During her practicums at Nurse Next Door community nursing and Malaspina Care Home, she gained valuable hands-on Canadian healthcare experience. It reinforced how meaningful care and companionship are for seniors and reaffirmed her passion for geriatric care.

A Changed Life

For Munira, her nomination as the student of the year finalist for the PGN program is recognition of how far that little, uncared-for girl has come, and how every sacrifice has contributed to something greater.

Today, Munira works as a Health Care Assistant in Nanaimo while pursuing both RN and LPN licensure. Each step brings her closer to her dream of bringing her family to Canada while building a stable career caring for the elderly. “Next to my children, caring for the elderly is my greatest passion. Everyone will grow old one day and they deserve dignity and love,” Munira explains.

The little girl selling food on the streets in Ghana has grown into a loving mother, a caring friend and a compassionate caregiver. Always, her life has been guided by care. Her life is proof that when we care, we offer hope. And the two have the power to change lives.