Its not every day that you get to do something good with your job but Saturday was an exception.
I was sent to Al Ain to photograph Guilam and his Son Abdullah for the National Newspaper’s, Helping Hands section which reports on the work of the Dar Al Ber Society, a registered charity in the UAE.
Three year old Abdullah was born without an inner ear, a rare condition known as microtia-anotia and has been deaf since birth. The condition requires an operation which would give Abdullah hearing for the first time but costs $35,000, a figure Guilam has little hope of paying from his $1000 per month salary. Guilam’s determination to provide for his son is a testament to his determination, he has given up his rented accommodation and moved his family into his fathers small house as he continues his already year long quest to finance the procedure. Traveling between India and the UAE, seeking help from charities he has almost raised enough for the hospital to order the implant and hopes that during the holy month of Ramadan he might be able to find the generosity to pay for the actual surgery.