Rabin Hossain Growing up in his native village in Bangladesh, Rabin Hossain never considered schooling a priority. Although his parents send him to school every morning, he attended classes only once or twice a month. Instead, he chose to loiter around the streets or engage in thrilling games with his group of friends. Fed up with his wayward ways and wanting to instill some discipline in the boy, his father heeded the suggestion of his sister and sent him to live with her family in Dhaka. She had convinced her father that the Dhaka Project School which her children attended would not only provide him with free education but also ensure that he stayed in the classrooms each day. “I was aghast,” recollects Rabin, “when at 10 years of age, I had to move in with my sister as I was petrified of my brother-in-law who was very strict with me!” Although he was studying in Grade V at the village school, Rabin was enrolled in Class III at the Dhaka Project School. “Both the school and my brother-in-law ensured that I focused on my studies and learnt my lessons every day. I found it extremely hard initially as I was used to getting my way at home but gradually, I guess, I began to take more interest in my studies and then life became easier.” His sister, meanwhile, was provided vocational training by Dhaka Project in a beautician course and went on to open her beauty salon in Dhaka in Gawair where she lived. Now, they have left the squatter settlement where they lived earlier and are back in her in-law’s village in the outskirts. Here, too, she is supplementing her family income by running a beauty salon. On completion of his schooling at the Dhaka Project School, Rabin was selected by the Maria Christina Foundation to attend a short-term Ramp Handling Course at Aviation College in Dubai. He did himself and MCF proud when he completed the course with 84 per cent marks. “That was a very proud moment for me and my family, and I owe immense gratitude to Maria and MCF for giving me an opportunity to have faith in myself and my abilities,” says Rabin. “It has given me renewed strength and confidence and I know today that no dream is too big for me to achieve; all I need is one hundred per cent determination and dedication.” “I am also indebted to my brother-in-law without whose disciplinarian attitude, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he adds. Rabin Hossain, now 21, is currently Cargo Handling Assistant at Emirates Sky Cargo and is happy that he is able to provide his parents and 15-year-old sister with all amenities for a confortable life.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 09:10:47 +0000
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