Singh Unites UNC, Third World

A young boy ran up to her, addressing her in Hindi. "Are you a good sister?" he asked. In response, Singh bought the boy a piece of bread.

He soon returned with 200 other hungry children from the streets of India. Singh willingly bought each child a piece of bread. "I experienced a thrilling rush that one little boy valued me so much," she said.

Singh's experience in India inspired her to aid other children in Third World countries.

In pursuit of this goal, Singh, a junior international business major at UNC, serves as vice president of Carolina for Kibera and is in charge of the organization's campus branch. CFK is a nonprofit corporation that strives to help almost 1 million children living in Kibera, a slum near Nairobi, Kenya.

"Children are the future of the country. We work with the youth today so that they will be the future leaders of tomorrow," Singh said.

Although Singh is a native of Ottawa, Canada, she still considers India her motherland. "My parents grew up with absolutely nothing and have taught me that serving one's motherland is the greatest honor of all," Singh said.

Singh chose to study at a boarding school in southern India for four years and was overwhelmed by the poverty in the country. She said she believes that every person here has the ability to change another person's life. "To be human is to serve your own brothers and sisters," Singh said.

Because of this belief, Singh gladly volunteered to help her friend Rye Barcott establish CFK as a long-lasting enterprise. "We see ourselves as a multinational corporation one day, so our projects are long, increasing the versatility of them," Singh said.

CFK, which is sponsored by the University Center for International Studies, has been in action for less than two years, but it now has more than 70 active members.

As the campus leader of CFK, Singh started a pen pal program called Heart-Felt Friends that links UNC students with children in Kibera. Singh said the program attempts to teach participants that humans in both nations aspire to the same ideals. "Students learn to be content with little because a homeless man in America is a millionaire in Kibera," she said.

CFK also collaborates with MedWorld, a nonprofit organization through UNC Hospitals that recycles unused medical supplies and donates them all over the world. Singh organizes the shipment of medical supplies to Kibera and India.

Singh's involvement with Third World countries extends beyond CFK.

As a member of Family Health International, she works with doctors in Kenya to establish central supply distribution systems. "We locate and allocate where future medical clinics should be built by the Kenyan government," Singh said.

She also is working with AIDS research in Kenya through the APPLES program. "We are trying to format a database on the spread of AIDS, eradication, vaccination and family planning in Kenya," she said.

Singh also is preparing to lead a research team with the World Bank in Nepal and Bhutan after graduation.

Anna Carlton, the program officer of CFK, said Singh is a people person. "She is all about helping people and serving people above herself," Carlton said.

In recognition of her selfless service and leadership, Singh will be presented with the Order of the Old Well award April 10.

Although she admits she is busy, Singh said she loves serving people and all her activities are important to her. Her motto is "When there is a will, there is a way," she said. "If you have the potential and resources, there is time."

The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.