Memories I cherish at the Home for Girls…

Assalamu Alaikum,

I came to the Home for Girls at the young age of three, with all my earliest memories being within its blue tinted walls, buried in the garden, the other girls and I kept, every Saturday morning.

I am thankful for the educational opportunities you gave me – some of my strongest, hands-on life skills came from classes I was sent to as a young adult! The Quran and Arabic classes in the evenings and fun time I spent playing hide and seek in the yard, are still fresh in my memory.

“We even made our own henna from scratch, straight from the henna tree in the garden, we groomed.”

During the month of the Islamic Calendar, Ashura, we would sew clothes for infants and toddlers alongside Aunty Nabeesa and Aunty Moomin to sell.

I remember trips to the museum – the bus rides back and forth where we would sing until our throats were hoarse. Among all the girls were Aunty Shuaiba’s grandchildren, Aidha and Thameez, who played together with us on weekends.

Direckze Aunty and Shuaiba Aunty were our mothers during my time there. For over ten years they took care of us with a sense of duty as they were our guardians.

 “May Allah (swt) bless them dearly for all the times they cared and nursed us back to health when we were ill”

There were many other Aunties at CMLU who were wonderful role models and teachers

“May Allah (swt) grant all aunties a place in paradise for their endless patience and kindness”

My Life Now

Maasha Allah! I am blessed to live in Canada with a wonderful husband and four children to whom I tell stories about the Home all the time. I look forward to visiting the Home every time I’m on vacation in Sri Lanka not to just visit and see some familiar faces but also to meet the new girls.

Alhamdulillah! I am blessed in life and I give my thanks to Allah (swt) and my Aunties every day for bringing me here.

Now I spend my days sewing and baking. Our oldest daughter, Rizana, has graduated secondary school and will be attending university soon. Our second daughter, Rihana, is in the beginning of high school and is excelling in studies. Our son, Rizwan, is studying at an Islamic Institution and is working hard to become a Hafiz. Our youngest daughter, Aisha, has recently started kindergarten.

I pray that all the girls too living in the Home will be blessed with a good future to cherish.

Shakila Anver

Ontario, Canada