Almost 500 children from the most deprived streets of Bangladesh have the chance to escape from the slums of its capital at the Emirates-funded school.

The school was launched to bolster the education of children in the Dhaka Project, an NGO founded by Emirates Cabin Crew member Maria Conceicao to help the social and intellectual development of families trapped in extreme poverty.

As well as offering deprived adults training in fields such as tailoring, beauty treatment and driving, the Dhaka Project – which is also supported by the Emirates Airline Foundation - provides children with education.

The Dhaka Project School - which also covers basic daily needs such as food, school uniforms, books, stationery, rain coats, shoes and toiletries - follows the Bangladeshi curriculum and provides an education for 100 children.

Recognising that the more intelligent children required a higher level of education to realise their potential, Maria – who runs the non-profit project with the help of a team of staff and volunteers - approached international schools in Dhaka.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of prejudice against these children in Dhaka, even the gifted ones, just because they are poor,” she said.

The Emirates Airline Foundation stepped in with a donation for US $19,000 and a school with 20 classrooms was built which teaches the Cambridge International Examination curriculum to more than 450 pupils.

“I’m grateful to the foundation for funding this new school which will help the children overcome these barriers and achieve their individual dreams,” added Maria.