Our Story
A legacy of care, compassion, and service
CareAnchor was born from a legacy of compassion that spans generations, inspired by remarkable women who dedicated their lives to caring for others.
1963 — Apa Roshan's pioneering journey to England
Our story starts in 1963 when a nurse from a suburban town on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, decided to take a leap of faith and travel alone to the UK to pursue her life's ambitions and a career in nursing. Her name was Roshan Akhtar Bhatti — her colleagues called her Sister Bhatti, and her family called her Apa Roshan, or simply Apa (Apa in Urdu means sister).
Apa Roshan was born in India. Her family migrated to Pakistan during the partition of 1947 when she was just five years old. Her father died in her early childhood. Raised by a single mother and faced with many challenges, Apa grew up to become a person of extraordinary strength and resilience. Her choice of nursing was partly to support her mother, who was wheelchair -bound and in her full-time care, and partly her desire to live a life of purpose — turning her resilience into compassion to help and serve others.
Apa charted a path not trodden by many, and almost unheard of for a Pakistani woman six decades ago.
Apa's life was one of complete devotion to others. She was a source of deep compassion for everyone around her, and she rendered selfless service to humanity until she passed away quietly at home, surrounded by her close family. The light of compassion, love, and care that Apa kindled became an inspiration for two of her family members who followed in her footsteps — Dr Nabeela and Aneela.
1963 — Razia Baji, a caring nurse and a mother
In the same year that Apa Roshan began her journey, another remarkable woman was starting her own path of service. Syeda Razia Sarwat — Razia Baji, as we affectionately called her — began her nursing career in 1963 at Ganga Ram Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.
In 1974, her dedication took her across borders when she was selected by the Libyan Medical Delegation to serve as a nurse in Libya. She spent most of her career there at a Children and Mother Health Centre, dedicating her life to the care of mothers and children who needed her most. The Libyan health ministry awarded her its highest honour, the Certificate of Excellence, in recognition of her decades of service.
After retiring in 1999, Razia Baji returned to Lahore — but her journey of care was far from over. When her second son was diagnosed with Thalassemia at the age of two, she became his devoted full-time carer, giving him the same compassion she had shown countless patients throughout her career, until he passed away on his sixteenth birthday in 1996.
Her memory, and that of her son, remain very much alive with us. Her legacy of care continues to inspire our mission.
2004 — Dr Nabeela's dedicated serving to the NHS
Inspired by Apa's legacy, Dr Nabeela Nisar made the bold decision to travel to the UK alone in pursuit of her dreams, arriving in 2004. She too chose a life of caring for others, and today works as a Consultant in Stroke Medicine within the NHS.
Over two decades, Dr Nabeela has been recognised by the NHS many times for her professionalism, and especially for her selfless commitment during Covid. Now a single mother of two, she continues undeterred in her commitment to serving others with compassion and love.
1992 — Aneela, a caring mother and daughter
Omar, the eldest son of our sister Aneela, was born in 1988 with Cerebral Palsy. From his earliest days, Aneela took on the role of his full-time carer. Days became weeks, months and years, and Omar remained entirely dependent on his mother — his body and muscles stiff, unable to chew or swallow at times, vulnerable to frequent infections. Aneela cared for Omar with the devotion of a parent caring for a newborn, for nearly 29 years, until he passed away.
When our mother, Ammi Jan, then needed care, Aneela became her full-time carer too. Ammi Jan's final years were spent in Aneela's arms — a true blessing — until she passed away in 2024.
2023 — Why CareAnchor?
The lives of Apa, Razia Baji, Dr Nabeela and Aneela, and their complete devotion to caring for others, are worth celebrating. CareAnchor is, in many ways, a tribute to them — and to every care worker who shows up every day with that same quiet dedication.
I have been fortunate to witness those lives up close, to feel the love and gratitude that surrounded them, and to carry those memories with me now as a guiding light.
Our story lives on. All I hope is that our elders are smiling down at this very moment. It is a wonderful feeling.
— Waqar, Founder of CareAnchor