After two years of living in debt, sleeping in a rental car and using public loos, French woman flew home

Journalism is most meaningful when it makes a positive difference to someone’s life.

This summer, Khaleej Times broke the story of a 43-year-old French woman in Abu Dhabi who had been living in a rented car for over two years. She had lost her job and had no place to live. She had a bank loan to pay off, and had raked up fines for over-staying in the UAE.

“I was earning Dh15,000 and had a decent apartment. But my life took an unexpected turn when I got laid off,” said Rachida (who didn’t want her surname disclosed). After vacating her apartment in March 2016, she said she felt there was no option but to start living in the car. “I am surviving on dole from friends and acquaintances,” Rachida told Khaleej Times.

Hers is a classic case of a debt-ridden expat, who fell upon bad days after losing her job. She got fired in 2014 but could not leave the country because she had taken a bank loan. She could not pay her rents and had to vacate her house.

From 2016 onwards, Rachida spent days in the prayer rooms of shopping malls and at night, she would drive around to find open areas to pull up and park. She slept in the car. A public administrator since 2012, Rachida was now using public toilets and showers at the beach to freshen up.

“I used to survive on a packet of chips or a glass of yogurt,” said Rachida who would at times drive to Dubai. “When friends occasionally gave me money or food, I used to eat. It was a big relief to discover charity fridges in Dubai.”

Despite her plight, Rachida was affected most by not being able to see her mother (who was in France). She told Khaleej

Times, “I am thankful for the generosity and kindness of strangers who bought me food and offered help occasionally.” Luck eventually came to her side. She approached immigration for help, and was relieved when authorities waived her overstay fine (of more than Dh1,00,000). She was asked to pay a fine of Dh2,500 and leave the country before July 7. But leaving was not that easy for Rachida. She had a bank loan of Dh120,000 plus dues of Dh24,000 for the rental car.

When Khaleej Times published her story on June 28, readers were affected by her plight. Help poured in from all quarters, including from Rachida’s previous employer. Some offered her financial assistance, some gave her job offers. She even got a marriage proposal from someone who admired her resilience.

But Rachida’s priority was to go home. She got a free air ticket arranged for by a fellow French woman, a Sharjah-based reader who read the story in KT and drove from Sharjah to pick up Rachida and take her to her place.

After negotiating with the bank, she paid off her debts and was finally able to fly home and be with her mom.