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Moved by Reem's plight, companies offer her job

Reem is also looking for a job to support herself and her two-year-old baby. Her mother, Shameem, who married Reem's father as a 15-year-old girl 23 years ago, was given a divorce and sent back home to Hyderabad in 1983. Reem was four months old then.

Asim Farid Malik, Public Relations Manager at Dosal PTE LTD, has offered Reem a job as an Arabic typist for a "good" salary. "We would like to help Reem and her baby lead a good life. We actually need her services as an Arabic typist. By offering her a job, we would also be guaranteeing good living conditions for Reem and her baby."

Expressing his willingness to offer jobs to UAE nationals, the company's chairman Rajen Arvind Kilachand said he had asked Tanmia to send national job-seekers to the company. "We have not been lucky so far in finding a national job applicant for the typist post," he said, adding: "We are hoping that Reem will fit the bill, particularly since she had worked earlier for typing offices. Awareness of English language is not essential for the job. She just has to type in Arabic."

Syed Omran, Research and Marketing Manager at Zaki Group, offered Reem a job in the customer service department. "The salary can be worked out once we meet her and assess her skills. Many employees who do not hold any university certificates have proved to be competent and efficient in their jobs," he said, commenting on Reem's school education.

"We will see what she can do. She may be highly skilled in some areas," he said, adding that they would also help Reem in locating her mother.

"I have received many calls from friends expressing their willingness to search for Reem's mother in Hyderabad."

A person hailing from Hyderabad narrated his own story of his search for his brother, which had a happy ending, to instill faith in Reem. "For 20 years, I searched relentlessly for my brother. There were times of despair, but I did not allow this to bog me down. I finally traced my brother in Mumbai," he said, and expressed hope that Reem's story will have a similar happy ending.

"I will extend all possible help to her. I will search the government's civil records in Hyderabad to track down her mother. I am sure I will be able to track her through the date of her marriage to Reem's father.

"I will ask my brother to start the search and in two months' time, I myself will be in Hyderabad and will look for her mother," he said.

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