When asked how many children they want, most married couples might say one, two, or perhaps none.
But Nasrin Shah Beevi, 35, has raised six children – and she doesn’t plan to stop there.
None of these children were born to her, however. They are her foster children, and have ranged from a baby to children in their tweens.
Nasrin, who’s a counsellor, began her fostering journey in 2021, two years after marrying her husband, Nizamudheen Ishak, 52, an IT manager.
Though Nasrin loves all her foster children dearly, she knows that they are all only with her for a season. Placed in foster care due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or because their parents are unable to care for them due to incarceration, illness, or death, most of them return to their biological families once the situation stabilises – usually within a few months to a few years.
But one girl stayed. Two years ago, around Mother’s Day, Nasrin received news that she could adopt Nur (not her real name), a spirited three-year-old girl she had been fostering.
