A UAE-based humanitarian who has worked tirelessly to give youngsters in Bangladeshi slums a brighter future fears the Dhaka school she opened might be forced to close due to a lack of funds.

Maria Conceicao, who founded the Maria Cristina Foundation, said management at the education facility she started do not have the funds to keep the project running, writes Kimberly Lobo

The school, in the Bangladeshi capital, which educates 600 children, requires $10,000 a month to operate. Four years ago it was taken over by a separate organisation.

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Maria Conceicao, who founded the Maria Cristina Foundation fears the Dhaka school she opened might be forced to close due to a lack of funds

Maria 7DAYS: “We desperately need help from UAE residents. The Dhaka Project has been run and managed by a local company in Dhaka since 2009. However, they are struggling to raise funds and the school has been closed for the last week. It will officially close on March 31 if we get no help.”

She added: “It is sinking to be honest, it has been sinking for so long now but I believe in being positive so I have been persevering, although it’s challenging. I am so emotional as I have been helping these kids for eight years.”

Fourteen-year-old Rubel Mustofa, who attends the school and has known Conceicao since she founded the facility, said he was “shattered” about the closure. “Once our lives, especially mine, were sordid but then Maria came and helped us to chose a bright future,” she said.

And Rubel knows that her best hope for the future is to get a good education, saying: “All I need is education because I know that if you're educated then you can find yourself a suitable job in any part of the world.”

Conceicao, a former Emirates stewardess, has been on a mission to help slum dwellers since 2005 and has enabled hundreds of children get an education and helped young people secure jobs in the UAE through her foundation.

She is currently going through intense training in preparation for a climb to the summit of Mount Everest in May, which she hopes will raise $1 million to secure the future of those she helps. Anyone who would like to help should call Fatiha on 050 152 7429.

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