“It is really hard to see your children living without any future,” said Hassna

Their home speaks a lot. It has many painful tales to tell – tales of misery, tales of negligence, and, of course, the tale of hopelessness. Tucked away in one of the villages within Sitra, sexagenarian Hassna Habib and her family of three sons live in an old, dilapidated house that has more cracks than stones on walls. Many a time they approached the municipal council, but their requests would often fall on deaf ears. “We have totally lost hope. We live in a constant despair,” said Hassna’s son 35-year-old Ali Ahmed. Ali’s has two brothers – elder one is 39-year-old and the younger one is 27-year-old. None of them has tied knots, as they are “not very confident of bringing brides to a house that could collapse any time”. The family was pinning its hope on a house renovation project launched as per the directive of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa a few years ago. Despite knocking many doors, they say they could not receive any benefits under the scheme.

Hassna's story is not unique, he is one among many who are in the same situations. even their last ray of hope were shattered.