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Creating a brighter future
Rizana Rahim: Sri Lanka
Rizana Rahim (not her real name) bows her head to hide the
tears welling up in her eyes as she describes how her world was
shattered last year. For many years, she had a comfortable life
with her husband and two children, living in a rented house and
sending their children to good schools.
This came to a sudden end when her husband died after a heart attack, leaving Rizana with the responsibility of keeping her family together, yet no means of earning a living. She had been surviving by selling her jewellery, but this source of income soon dried up. ‘We didn’t save anything; we lived from day to day believing that Allah will take care of us. There were no bank accounts, no house, no investments,’ says Rizana, wiping her eyes with the end of her headscarf. However as soon as Rizana begins to speak about her 11-year-old son, her face lights up. ‘He is always breaking and making the toy cars and trucks his father bought him. He wants to be an engineer,’ she says proudly. ‘Whatever happens, I will somehow see that he continues his education.’
Despite owing two years worth of school fees, Rizana was determined for her children to continue their education. She looked into ways of getting help, until she found the Muslim Aid Rainbow Family Programme. Under the programme, Muslim Aid takes care of all aspects of Rizana’s sonŠs education including school fees, books and uniforms until he reaches the age of 18. ’I am so grateful to Muslim Aid for providing for my son’s education. Otherwise, I may have had to take him out of school. Now I can bring up my children to be good citizens,‘ she said.