UAE: Heavy rains dampen school dreams for Pakistani family in Sharjah

Six-year-old Asif* and his brother 12-year-old Aamir* were looking forward to their school reopening after the Eid break. They had moved to a new class and their mother Saima*, 30, from Karachi, Pakistan had just bought a new set of schoolbooks and supplies.

But those dreams have been put on hold for now. As heavy downpour flooded their home in Sharjah's Al Sabka locality on April 16, the family sought refuge in a friend's house in Ajman hoping to return when things get better.

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On Wednesday, they returned to their house to see it still submerged in ankle deep water.

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The floodwaters spared nothing, soaking their furniture, rendering household appliances useless, and destroying the newly-purchased school books and supplies.

"I had purchased those school supplies just days ago," said a distraught Saima.

Saima's husband has a modest job in Ajman and the family struggles to get by.

Saima said she will have to withdraw her children from school as they have no money to pay their fees or buy books. "Whatever money we had set aside for the school fee will now have to be used to clean up the house and get basic essentials."

(*Names have been changed to protect privacy)

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Mazhar Farooqui

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mazhar@khaleejtimes.com

Mazhar Farooqui, or Maz, is a multiple award-winning investigative journalist and Senior Editor at Khaleej Times. Renowned for exposing corruption and uncovering major scams, he is also the author of The Maz Files: Scoops, Scams & Showdowns.