It was the dead of night when Nandita Samyabhai heard an infant's cry outside the front door of her two-bedroom flat. She swept the bundle into her arms and knew immediately that she was holding the abandoned child of an expatriate couple.
In 2014 Ms Samyabhai conducted a talk on the unwanted pregnancies of foreign workers residing in Oman.
"I was alarmed by reports in the Indian communities in Oman about young girls having unwanted pregnancies", Ms Samyabhai, 43, an Indian national and a medical practitioner based in Muscat, told The National.
"I did this talk in an Indian school to find out the reasons behind it. But I also told them they could come to me if these young girls are in trouble. I did not know that part of this service I offered was for them to drop their unwanted babies on my doorstep,” she said.
Ms Samyabhai has also arranged for local orphanages to take in these babies.
“But I am not the only expatriate who is involved in this kind of Good Samaritan role. There are others in the same position as I am."
The number of abandoned expatriate babies has increased by six per cent over the last year, according to the ministry of social development, leaving Oman's orphanages overstretched.
Between 2015 and last year the overall number of infants - those born to Omanis as well as foreigners - abandoned in hospitals or in orphanages in the Sultanate rose by 11 per cent, reaching 54. Of those, 29 were babies born to non-Omanis. No information is available on the nationalities of the others.
Psychologist Ranjeeta Pyarlal said she has also been surprised by abandoned babies on her doorstep in the early hours of the morning.
“I do free home counselling to troubled young expatriate women in Oman. It has made my house a target for unwanted babies. They just drop them on my doorstep. I think it's because I am close to most of these young women I counselled and they feel connected with me. Why else could they drop their babies to my house?” said 36-year-old Ms Pyarlal.
Over the course of this year, Ms Pyarlal and Ms Samyabhai each found two babies on their doorsteps, while last year they found five between them.
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The total number of children who have been fostered is unknown but there are an estimated 3,500 in orphanages across the country, according to the Ministry of Social Development.
“We cannot get an accurate number of the children born to expatriate mothers who are now being raised in the orphanages because it is not always clear cut whose baby it is when they are dropped off somewhere. The number we have for the babies of expatriates only come from other expatriates who bring them in after being abandoned in their homes. That’s the only way to know,” Asia Al Hallabi, a social worker, told The National.
According to Ms Samyabhaim most babies are abandoned by single mothers who come under family pressure, some of them are as young as 15.
“Most of them are forced to abort them before birth but some, for religious reasons, wait until they deliver them then they drop the babies at some place where they can be seen,” Ms Samyabhai said.
Individual orphanages have their own privacy policies about whether to release information to the public about abandoned babies. “You won’t get any information from the orphanages about the background of the babies, although they welcome foster parents to adopt them,” Ms Hallabi said.
To encourage foster families to take in orphans, the government pays a monthly allowance of 100 rials (Dh950) per child. All orphans get Omani citizenship regardless of their mothers’ nationalities. They also get free scholarships when they finish secondary school and automatic jobs when they graduate. The perks also include free land of about 600 square metres when they reach 25 and a low interest mortgage to build their homes.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
More on Quran memorisation:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Quick%20facts
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
More coverage from the Future Forum
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
