Education Bangladesh Project #23862

Educating the slums

by Maria Cristina Foundation

Project Report | Jan 25, 2022
HISTORY IN THE MAKING

By Maria Conceicao | Founder

25th January 2022 another butterfly headead to university in #Portugal . I am so proud of Aklima who has been in Dubai for 1 one year working on internships and saving some money to help her through university along with some sponsorship.
Many people said I was crazy or wasting my time 17 years ago when I met these tiny, poor children and decided to help them with the vision that they would one day go to universities around the world. People even said that I should not fill them with so much hope! But here we are, another butterfly goes off to make her mark in the world.
Thank you so much to everybody who has helped to make this possible.

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Dec 5, 2021
From the slums to a new beginning in Dubai

By Maria Conceicao | Founder

These are families who I have been helping since 2005 and the girls have had the best education I could provide for them in Dhaka. However, they are families with very sad stories, mainly single Mums and their daughters. Either the fathers have died, disappeared, or the mothers have been victim to severe abuse, violence, and rape from the husbands who were often drug addicts or had similar issues.

All of the families were living in extreme poverty when I first started helping them.

Although we provided the best education we could in Dhaka, they were still victims of discrimination and other obstacles and I could see no option but to take them out of that environment, to give them a better future.

First we brought the girls to Dubai on a summer camp in 2019. A school in Dubai met the girls and they were so impressed that they offered full scholarships for them in Dubai. We just had to solve the issue of the residence permit before they can start school.

I tried everything, through the most connected people, at the highest levels, but nobody could help these girls to take up their scholarship offer.

However hard the challenge, I always believe that there is a way to achieve it, especially something that is worthwhile and something that may change lives for the better and after trying many ways and failing, I eventually had no option but to bring the mothers of the girls to find them sponsored jobs that were worthy enough (as per regulations) for the mothers to sponsor their daughters.

This is no easy task, these are illiterate women, who were married aged 11 or 12 and their only experience in life is that of struggle and suffering.

But we have done it, we now have 9 girls here in Dubai, admitted to school. Not only do the mothers have respectable jobs with good companies, but they each have basic housing and can support their daughters.

Certainly, this will not be the end of their challenges, Dubai is an expensive place to live, their rent takes up most of their salaries. The mothers need to keep developing and improving to make sure that their stay here is secure. The girls need to study hard to catch up and to stand out as exceptional students to keep their scholarships and to get the best opportunities in life.

So far this is a true success story, not only for these families but for the people and businesses in the UAE who have helped and supported them, showing what a great community we have here.

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Nov 30, 2021
AMAZING INCREDIBLE NEWS

By Maria Conceicao | Founder

3RD November 2021 is very special day for these 9 butterflies!

Today they finally enrolled at Al Sadiq Islamic English School, an Athena Education School.
8 of the girls are on a scholarship, which was offered more than 2 years ago when the girls visited for summer camp.
Thankfully and amazingly, Athena kept their promise, despite the many obstacles we faced to get the girls in a position to attend school in Dubai.

Many people told me that it would be virtually impossible to get residence visas for the girls - but I always believe that if something is worthwhile, there is always a way, keep trying and you will find a solution.

It took me 1 year to train for and summit Mount Everest - this took over 2 years of constant hard work.

But of course, so many people have helped to achieve this, and I am sure that many more people will help to ensure that it continues successfully. Despite difficult times with Covid etc, it is amazing how the Dubai community, be it businesses or individuals, look out for and help others. Thank you, Dubai and others, outside of Dubai who have helped them.

Thank you to some of our older students and volunteers in Bangladesh, who helped to arrange the 'difficult to obtain' paperwork in Bangladesh, required for them to travel.
Thank you to the UAE embassy who were amazing in their help and support, without their valuable help even the first steps would have been impossible.
Thank you to many people who have sponsored flight tickets or visit visas for the girls and their mothers to get them here.
Thank you to those who have helped with the visa processes and the many renewals needed.
Thank you to the many people and companies who have helped with groceries, essential items, tutoring classes, activities - there have been so many
Thank you to the amazing companies who have provided jobs for the mothers, enabling them to sponsor their daughters' visas.
Thank you for those who have helped with school uniforms, books etc (also many thanks to those who will hopefully help soon )
Thank you for those who helped sponsor the residence visas for the girls and those who made it happen, such a difficult task.
Thank you to those who helped with furniture and essential items for their accommodations (also thanks to those who will hopefully help soon )
Thank you of course to Athena Education for keeping their promise, despite our difficulties and delays.

Of course, it is not over, there will be many more challenges ahead, but thank you to anybody who has been involved in any way to help and support these girls and their mothers. You can be proud that you have helped to change their lives for the better, for good, by laying a path with so many opportunities ahead.

For sure they will do their best to make you proud.

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