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How UAE humanitarian's Dh1 million initiative is helping families who lost sole earners
For some families left behind, it was struggling to pay for a new house; for others, it was a daughter's wedding, a child's education or clearing long-standing debts
- PUBLISHED: Thu 9 Jul 2026, 8:00 AM UPDATED: Thu 9 Jul 2026, 11:17 AM
When Abdul Rasheed Zakir Husain left his home in Uttar Pradesh for the UAE, he made a promise to his family.
"This will be my last journey abroad," He told them that once he returned, he would never leave home again. Exactly two months later, they received a call instead.
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The 38-year-old was among the seven workers killed in the Emirates Road accident in Dubai, a tragedy that claimed the lives of six Indians and one Sri Lankan.
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For the families left behind, the loss goes far beyond a breadwinner. It has left unfinished homes, children's education, mounting debts and lifelong dreams hanging in uncertainty.
"He had said this would be his last journey. Once he returned, he wanted to stay with the family," said Mohammed Aamir, Abdul Rasheed's brother-in-law.
Abdul Rasheed is survived by his wife, Farida Khatoon, and three young daughters. His family said everything he earned in the UAE was meant to secure their future. Now, they are trying to figure out how to rebuild life without him.
Every family had a dream
The same story echoes across villages in Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Sri Lanka. Each worker had left home believing that a few years in the Gulf would help them build a better future.
For some, it was a new house. For others, it was a daughter's wedding, a child's education or clearing long-standing debts. Instead, their families are now learning to live with an empty chair at home.
Saleem Sayyed Hussain, 51, had travelled to the UAE barely two-and-a-half months before the accident.
His wife, Sayyad Goreebee, said he wanted to build a better house and ensure their children could continue their education. One of their children has health-related challenges, while discussions had already begun for their daughter's marriage.
"We used to break rocks for a living. He wanted a better future for the children," she said, struggling to hold back tears.
Nothing, she said, can replace her husband. "But we have children to think about. We have to keep moving forward."
Another family in Telangana is trying to cope with a second unimaginable tragedy. Abdul Rafiq Abdul Raheem, 37, had gone to Dubai around nine months ago after financial difficulties pushed him to seek work overseas.
He leaves behind his wife, Raziya Begum, and their young daughter. His father, Abdul Raheem, had already lost two other children in a road accident in 2015. Now, the family has suffered another heartbreaking loss.
First trip abroad becomes their last
For some of the victims, the UAE was their first experience of working outside India. Thirupathi Gollapally Chandraiah, 23, had arrived in the UAE only seven months earlier.
His parents remembered how he would regularly call home and speak about adjusting to life abroad and working outdoors in the Gulf heat. In Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, 31-year-old Mohammad Saqib Liyaqat Ali had also travelled to Dubai for the first time after working as an aluminium fabricator.
His brother said the family had asked him to return if life overseas became too difficult. "He went abroad hoping our problems would end. We never imagined he would return like this," he said.
Glimmer of hope
Among this, one conversation has offered a glimmer of hope. Markandey Chauhan, 39, had spent years working in the Gulf to educate his three children and improve life for his family.
His 17-year-old daughter, Ankita Chauhan, recently completed Grade 12 and dreams of becoming a nurse. During a video call with the family, Dubai-based Indian billionaire Dr Shamsheer Vayalil assured Ankita that her education would be supported.
He told her to complete her BSc Nursing and said she would be given an opportunity to work at one of his hospitals in the UAE after graduating.
"We will support you to complete your education. Study well and complete the course. We will be happy to bring you here after that. Mr Markandey will be remembered every day through you," he told her.
For Ankita, the promise has become a reason to keep moving forward. "My father wanted us to study and build a better life," she said. "I want to complete my education and stand by my family."
How help reaches them
The families are receiving assistance under a Dh1 million humanitarian rehabilitation programme announced by Dr Shamsheer Vayalil. Each family of the seven deceased workers is receiving Dh100,000, while education support for children is also being planned based on each family's needs.
The support has reached homes across Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Sri Lanka, where representatives personally met the families.
In Sri Lanka, they visited the family of 34-year-old Samuvel Rengasami, the sole breadwinner of his household, who is survived by his wife and young daughter. But for every family, the financial assistance is only one step in a much longer journey.
The workers had travelled thousands of kilometres from home believing that the sacrifices they made today would give their children a better tomorrow.
Now, it is their families who must carry those dreams forward.
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.