Educating the slums

Our last update was in April. Since then, life has moved really fast.

The recession tested us. COVID tested us. And since February, conflict and uncertainty across the Middle East have seen support fall dramatically. We have survived by adapting through paid speaking, book sales , pet sitting and finding new ways to keep the doors open and education moving.

But behind those difficult months, something beautiful has been happening.

Fatema was three weeks old when Maria first met her in Dhaka Bangladesh

A tiny baby in Dhaka.

This year, she completed Grade 12 graduation at Dubai Opera House.

Eighteen years between those two moments. A whole childhood. Sometimes impact isn't a number on a report. Sometimes it is simply being there long enough to watch a three-week-old baby grow into a young woman with a future.

Then there is Biplob.

During his university holidays, instead of simply taking a break, he came back and volunteered for a month with MCF the student becoming the person giving back. Soon afterwards, he secured an incredible internship with Checkout.com.

That is the circle we always dreamed of creating.

And then came a moment we almost stopped believing would happen.

One year. Three visa rejections.

Three times we heard no.

On the forth attempt, the answer was finally YES.

For the first time, a young Nepali girl we are supporting walked through arrivals in Dubai. Today she is living in Maria's home and going to English school.

Three lives. Three completely different moments.

A baby we met at three weeks old finishing Grade 12.
A student becoming an intern.
A girl rejected four times finally walking through an airport door that opened.

This is why we keep going.

Thank you for staying long enough to see what these children can become.

Links:

• Emirates 24/7 Newspaper Article
• Friday Magazine Feature

I really thought this might finally change everything.

For five weeks, I allowed myself to believe something could shift. I was contacted by a producer from Mr Beast and invited to apply for Season 3.

I went through two rounds. For a moment… it felt real. Not because of fame. But because I thought maybe I could finally breathe. Maybe I didn’t have to carry everything alone anymore. Two days ago, I found out I wasn’t selected. And yes… it hurt.

Not because I lost an opportunity. But because, for a brief moment, I believed things might finally get easier. And then… they didn’t.

But the truth is  nothing actually changed. I still have 13 students ready to start university this year. They’ve done everything right. They’ve earned their place.Most are the first ever in their families to ever finish school. And now they’re one step away from something that could change their entire lives. What stands between them and that future is not talent. It’s not effort. It’s access.

People see the moment when a student gets accepted. That part looks beautiful. What they don’t see is everything behind it. The calls. The paperwork. The proposals .The rejections. The visas. The flights. The housing. The funds that has to be found somehow, every single time. It’s relentless.

There’s no switch that turns this into something easy. No one big opportunity that solves everything. It’s just… showing up every day and figuring it out. This month, a few people stepped forward and said they would support this work every month. No big announcements. No noise. But for me… that meant everything. Because consistency is what keeps these students in school and get to university.

It’s what turns an opportunity into a real future. And when one student makes it… it doesn’t just change one life. It changes a family. A generation.  

I didn’t get to Mr Beast TV show. But the work is still here. And so am I.