In 2010, when I was forced to raise two kids alone, all I could foresee were challenges. It was a shock to see how much the fabric of our society had been lost. I was afraid, but the situation forced me to think outside the box!
I realized that to raise my children, I should raise every child on my island. I wanted to do whatever I could for my community. But then I was slapped with a NO because after I completed the life skills trainer program, the trainer failed to give us the certificate. I still have the contract we signed with the Ministry of Youth, Gan Centre.
I begged the principals to allow me to interact with all the kids in the community. It was a NO because the school had teachers certified by the Ministry of Education, and they ran scheduled sessions.
That's when I registered PCOMA - Professional Coaching and Mentoring Association of Maldives. I applied for the Asia Youth Fund, UNDP, and UNDEF funds. All projects were rejected because we didn't have prior experience and were not associated with more prominent NGOs. I tried to work with some NGOs, but all they did was run two/three-day programs and take photos, and we never heard back from them. With those photos, they confidently secured the following year's projects.
That's when I started the CV Pool, a football pool. I wanted to ingrain living values through football. The trainer said we needed certain items, and I begged businessmen to businessmen. No one supported it.
One day, I saw Mr Naeem: Happy Market at home, and I shamelessly shared the challenges and asked for support. He had only one request: We should not stop it. I got the commitment from the school Principal, and Mr Naeem generously shared what we requested and the Football coach's monthly allowances.
We started the pool with 75 students and successfully ran it for three months. Then, out of nowhere, Shangrilla Villingili Resort and Spa jumped into the scene and wanted to run a Football Pool as their CSR project. The school management and the coach utilized our football pool to showcase that the idea would be worth their investment.
By putting on a grand event with TV coverage, the school and Shangrilla signed an agreement, and our students suddenly had to attend the school pool.
I complained to the Principal, and his response was that when the school has its own football pool, kids will attend it only. Mr Naeem's investment was a waste. I wanted to refund to Mr Naeem. I begged the Principal to purchase the inventory we had for the Shangrilla project, and his response was that Shangrilla wanted to have branded items with their logo on them, and he couldn't do anything. I even argued with him for creating that loss for a businessman, but he said he couldn't help it.
I couldn't face Mr Naeem out of shame until today. Shimlatha (Shimla Naeem), I didn't have the courage to face you and explain what happened. I am not someone who shows up with excuses. I still want to repay you for the loss.
With two coaches hired for each session, the grand event lasted two months. During these two months, while the school was waiting for the branded items, the kids played using our balls, cones, and markers. After two months, the coaches stopped working because they were not given the agreed-upon salary. There was no more football pool.
Today, I have committed to running a one-year program for the Muhyiddun School on my account. The most remarkable achievement is that today, it is not me who facilitates the sessions but the students who have completed my programs. Thank you, PCOMA exco and students, for believing in this vision. Ahmed Isam Anthu Qasim Aroo Mohamed Hawwa Sheeza. As always, I am grateful to Allah for my husband, Ibrahim Hameed, for coping with my craziness. I am grateful to Mohamed Shihab Sir for being the mediator between Nazi Madam (Muhyiddin School) and PCOMA -Professional Coaching & Mentoring Association of Maldives. AlHamdulillah!
We are also planning to launch the pre-teen program soon. In Sha Allah. Indeed, Allah plants the seeds in our hearts and helps us nourish them. Allah SWT always opens the doors for believers. Even today, I face similar rejection and disapproval from leaders who show up with a double face, but I choose to #smiletoinspire.
#dewdropteencoach #dewdropleadership #dewdropshaheena #gratitude
