How three sisters in Dubai are feeding an entire school hot meals in East Africa

Inaya, Simar and Rania Bhasin launched non-profit organisation Arise

Dubai sisters, from left, Simar, Rania and Inaya Bhasin have started a non-profit organisation together. Antonie Robertson / The National

Three young sisters in Dubai have created a non-profit foundation that is transforming the lives of women and children thousands of miles away in Kenya.

Inaya Bhasin, 16, and her sisters Simar, 13, and Rania, 12, were inspired to establish Arise after visiting communities where children lack resources, women have few opportunities and the environment is under threat.

The daughters of a third-generation Kenyan-Indian father, they had spent time in Kenya and feel strong ties to the country.

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“We noticed how education, empowerment and conservation are often treated separately, but to us, they are deeply connected,” Rania told The National. So Arise was built, in 2023, around these three pillars, to align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

They began by working with the Vanessa Grant Trust, which supports access to education for children and young adults in rural Kenya.

The sisters with the students at Songoro Mnyonge Secondary School in Tanzania. Photo: Arise

Finding a story

The girls were moved by the experiences of women such as a stonecutter’s daughter who went to work with her mother, where she earned the equivalent of $3 a day. With support from the foundation, the daughter now works in one of Nairobi's leading law firms.

“We just found that story so impactful,” said Inaya. “It drives us to continue and start more and more projects.”

Each sister has a role: Inaya is the creative one, Simar handles logistics and partnerships, while Rania focuses on people and the vision. They want to expand across more African communities in the next five years.

“We want Arise to be a platform that proves youth-led change can be global and lasting,” Rania said.

Arise projects include donating recycled computers from African businesses to schools across Tanzania, supporting large-scale tree-planting drives across East Africa, and launching the Hot Meals Programme.

For the latter, Inaya sold her African-inspired artworks to raise $5,000, funding 20 women to cook daily hot meals for 1,300 students at Songoro Mnyonge Secondary School near Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania.

“Their attendance, their constitution and their overall attitude has improved and the women actually earn an income,” said Inaya. “They support five people at home on average.” She has also created an online maths platform to help pupils learn.

The most challenging part so far has been finding schools willing to accept help, said Simar. “The districts are very isolated and we have a language barrier.” To bridge the gap, they have partnered with local organisations to distribute laptops and reach students.

Striking a balance

Inaya Bhasin with Arise partners in Africa. Photo: Arise

Balancing all this with their own education and lives has not been easy. Inaya has just started higher education, Simar has begun her GCSEs and Rania is in Year Eight.

“In the beginning, it was a challenge, because all three of us are at different stages of school life,” said Inaya.

For the hot meals programme, for example, they have visited the school twice and check in with the headmistress once a week.

“Every month, we get how many hot meals have been provided, and the cost of it, so we can have this cost-benefit analysis,” added Inaya. “We normally save that for a weekend, but also integrate [Arise] into everyday life, sometimes at family dinner, with random discussions or brainstorming new ideas.”

The girls are keen to start partnering with schools, companies and institutions in the UAE as they roll out new projects. Anyone who would like to help can contact them through their Instagram page @arise.educate.empower.conserve.

“Our whole goal is to make this sustainable,” said Simar. “We are a small foundation, but we’re hoping to grow in all three pillars.”

Inaya is in talks with her school, Dubai College, to collect old electronics that students would otherwise throw out.

“Every small part matters,” she said. “Even though it might be small, it can still make a huge difference.”