MCF has been helping children in slums get an education since 2005 when Conceicao was moved by their plight during a visit to Dhaka while on a break from her airline job
Two expatriates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have joined hands to help bring children from Bangladesh slums to the gulf nation for paid internships.
As part of their efforts, Bachir Gemayel, a Lebanese expat in Abu Dhabi, will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to draw attention to the social work of Maria Conceicao, another expatriate in the UAE, whose Maria Cristina Foundation (MCF) helps children in slums in Bangladesh to get schooling and internships, reports Gulf News.
Conceicao, who is of Portuguese descent, told the English-language daily that she plans to bring 14 school students from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to Dubai for paid internships over the next five months.
“They are the first from their families to have an education. Their experience in Dubai will help them learn new skills and hopefully raise some funds to go to university in September 2021 by selling books,” Conceicao, a former member of an airlines’ cabin crew, told the newspaper.
MCF has been helping children in slums get an education since 2005 when Conceicao was moved by their plight during a visit to Dhaka while on a break from her airline job.
“They have graduated and are ready for university. For generations, their families have struggled living in poor remote villages or city slums. These students will be the change-makers to break the mould so that future generations will not have the same struggles and barriers to progress. They will be in Dubai for three months, minimum, to get valuable work experience and hopefully raise some funds for their university study,” she told the newspaper.
In the latest drive, she hopes Gemayel’s feats will raise more awareness about these children. A few of them have already been placed at Gemayel’s company for internships, the report added.
Gemayel, a 41-year-old general manager at a car dealership, also plans to run 84km in 24 hours in the UAE on April 2 for the same cause. Gemayel’s feats will be followed on social media, highlighting Conceicao’s work, the report added.
