Help Ashif, a Good Kerala Man, Support his Family

Hello Friends, I am Professor Paula Marie Young. I've been teaching law in Qatar for the past six years. Ashif, my driver and personal assistant has helped me during that time with great honesty, care, and professionalism. He was by my side during two surgeries I had in Qatar. He now needs help.

Ashif became the man of the house as a teenager when his father suddenly died. He moved to Qatar almost 20 years ago to provide a stable source of income for his mother and sisters. He then married and had three kids. He now supports five family members, including his mom. He also paid for the weddings of all three sisters.

The pandemic has been devastating to his income stream that is based on driving expat workers to the office and kids to school. With the Qatari lockdowns over the past 15 months forcing workers and kids to use online options, his transport business fell to next to nothing.

I have already helped him in many ways. I have paid eight or nine months rent, including some arrears for which his former landlord was holding his passport. I have also paid off the balance of the mortgage on his home in Kerala, India to preserve the gains he made over the last 20 years and keep a roof over the family. He admitted that if he lost the house, he would never be able to rebuild during his lifetime. His climb to the Indian middle class would end.

Now that I am retired and on a fixed income, I am asking my friends to help.

He needs some money this month to help him renew his Qatari residency visa and pay his "sponsorship fees." All expat workers must have a Qatari sponsor, and they extract fees for the role. The posted amount also includes some living expenses for the next month or two. Qatari officials expect the country to reach herd immunity in the next month or two with vaccines. So, we can hope he can rebuild his business by the fall when workers and kids return to more normal activities needing his services.

The money will go into my bank account, and I will ensure he gets it.

I hope to raise this money by the time I leave Qatar on July 6.