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28 March 2024

Indebted family thanks Emirates 24|7 readers

The Pawar family in the offices of Dubai Media Inc., publishers of Emirates 24/7

Published
By V M Sathish

A seven-member Indian family from the state of Maharashtra, with five daughters dismissed from school for non-payment of tuition fees, is relieved after a number of Emirates 24|7 readers and Indian expatriates extended a helping hand, after learning about their miserable living conditions in Bur Dubai, following a business failure.

The Indian family that has been running a textiles business and living in Dubai for 32 years said they had got a new lease of life, thanks to the kind hearted readers of Emirates 24|7 and listeners of the Malayalam FM radio station and other media outlets that took up the story.

The Vishnu Pawar family has been reeling under a mountain of debts and insecurity. Readers not only donated money, offered return air tickets to India, one generous man even sponsored the school fees of two girls till they completed their grade 10 studies in India.

The family received financial assistance of nearly Dh100,000. While the established community associations representing the Marathi-speaking community, the Maharashtra Mandal, or the Indian Community Welfare Fund have not yet done anything to help the Pawar family, a number of businessmen, community leaders and Facebook users took up the task.

“I am grateful to the kind-hearted people of Dubai, a city that has given me a lot in the past. Now we have got about Dh50,000 from various people and well-wishers including Sreekanthji, who donated Dh25,000 after reading the story,” said Pawar.

Sidharth Balachandran, Managing Director of Bumga Group and CEO of Buimerch Corporation, who made the first donation of Dh25,000, said: “I felt it is my duty to help such people facing severe problems."

The story went viral on the social networking sites, prompting some FB groups and informal community organisations to take up the matter.

Joy Thikkooden, sales executive and coordinator of Hit Jet Hongkong Team, said: “We have several members and after we posted the story in our FB group, many people donated money.

"We collected Dh5,500 from them and gave the money to the Pawar family on Friday.

"We were moved by our senior member Baiju Idakkara and Sindhu Baiju whose daughter Rachel Rose happened to be the classmate of one of the Pawar girls, who was dismissed from school for non-payment of fees.”

Many parents were not aware of the family’s plight and after the story was published, one parent donated Dh25,000 to help continue the girls’ education back home. Earlier, one parent had helped pay the arrears of  tuition fees of the girls, but they could not continue schooling.

Rakesh Poduval, Marketing Manager of UAE Exchange and Xpress Money from the NMC Group, said the group will donate Dh25,000 to the Pawar family to help them resolve their problems.

CP Mathew from the Valley of Love is also trying to help the family to get a waiver of huge immigration fines accumulated over the years.

We are trying to help the family to get a rented house or to continue the girls’ schooling back home.

Biju Ittiara, a member of the Al Khail Gate Residents' Association, and other members have taken up the matter,” Rajeev Pillai, Founder President of AKMA.

Joy Alukkas Group too offered free tickets to the seven member family as part of their CSR initiative.

"My health is deteriorating due to chronic diabeties and I am also going back to Mumbai to start a new life. Now at least my girls can continue their schooling in Mumbai,” said Pawar, during his visit to Dubai Media Incorporated’s office to express his family’s gratitude.