Dubai: Two teenage boys are on the verge of becoming homeless while their parents serve time in prison.
The Indian boys face eviction due to lack of funds to pay the rent. Desperate for a roof above their head and money to pay overdue fines, they appeal for public help.
Well-wishers contacted Gulf News about the family’s plight and to help the boys appeal for funds in excess of Dh100,000.
Cruz, 19 and Rich, 14, have been living off donations from well-wishers since November 2012, the month their parents were taken into custody for bounced cheques and unpaid credit card bills.
The family business ran into financial trouble post-recession. Both parents have lived in Dubai for more than 32 years.
The teens now face eviction.
Since November, the water and electricity supply was disconnected twice due to non-payment. Well-wishers stepped in to help; only one room in the two-bedroom apartment currently has an operational air-conditioning unit.
Cruz is studying for his A Level and doesn’t have the money to continue, whereas Rich, a ninth grade student at a Dubai school, doesn’t know whether he would be able to continue studying. The school has already waived off annual fees for more than two terms. Food from a nearby caterer is being donated on a daily basis.
The boys have met their parents only once since their imprisonment.
Speaking exclusively to Gulf News the eldest son Cruz said, “I do not know how long the court proceedings are going to take; we are unable to get sufficient information or understand the situation. We feel helpless.”
Cruz still has to clear 12 papers for his A level and each paper costs Dh400.
“I hope to finish my studies and begin working,” he said.
His brother Rich said, “Our parents were taken late one night in November, and it has been very difficult for us. We don’t know what is going to happen to us.”
Social worker Latha Siby and neighbour Lissy Mathews, who know the family, told Gulf News that the boys have been living in squalid conditions.
Mathews said, “With the help of well-wishers, a few neighbours and the Indian Consulate, we arranged for basic amenities. We have helped by restoring the water and electricity supply. But with an eviction notice and unpaid fines, we need more financial help.”
Siby said that she hopes the society will step forward to help the two boys. “They are on the verge of becoming homeless. We need to help these children in their time of crisis and hardship.”
They said monetary help as well as moral support for the children has been on-going for a few months. “However as time passes, the fines are increasing,” said Mathews.
