THE Glimmer of Hope Foundation marked ten years of service this December, but it was only two years ago that the nation came to fully recognise the work of the organisation and its founder, Zahir Ali, through one of the most heartbreaking stories ever carried by the Express—the tragedy of 14-year-old Rehanna Bhaggan and her mother, Reena Ramadhar.

That story chronicled the brutal reality of grinding poverty unfol­ding in plain sight in Trinidad and Tobago: a mother and daughter living on the margins, surrounded by affluence yet not afforded the most basic support.

Both later died in a fire that des­troyed their makeshift home in Cemetery Street, Warner Village. What happened in their final moments remains unknown.