Free classes: In a football ground in F-8, two brothers give scavengers a ‘ray of hope’

Two brothers take up the initiative to educate poor kids.

ISLAMABAD:

There are those who sit around, talking about making a difference and then there are those who do it.

Meet Muhammad Yousaf, an A level student, and his little brother Ahsan Sarwar, a class 8 student, who took it upon themselves to tutor poor kids in their locality.

The two brothers felt that they, in some way, needed to give back to the community. So one fine day they sneaked out a large bedcover from their mother’s linen cupboard and spread it out on a nearby football ground in F-8, which has now become a popular spot for little children to gather after they are done picking discarded items.

That is where the little makeshift class began. What started out as a small idea has now become a regular class of 10 to 15 students, who gather every Saturday to study. The two brothers teach their students the value of hygiene (all students must wash their hands and faces by the tap outside the ground before coming onto the mat) along with English, Urdu and Maths. At the end of the class the children are treated to snacks, to award them for their effort.

The little scavengers, who first had to be bribed with sweets and biscuits to come and study, now readily show up every Saturday for their lessons from 3pm to 5pm.

“The kids are quick learners and some are now able to read and write on their own,” Yousaf told The Express Tribune.

The dedication and love for the class is evident on the brothers’ faces as each gives individual attention to students to help them build self-confidence. Their friends have also joined the bandwagon and are helping out with the classes.

“Books and stationary is free for the kids, all they have to do is show up every week, we even have a class monitor,” said the proud young teacher.

The little co-ed class sits together reading and writing; some are naughty enough to try and copy schoolwork from others. But altogether, it is a heart-warming sight to see the class laughing and learning.

“I want to be a school principal when I am older!” declared Nasir, a student sporting a grin on his face.

Another student, a girl, said, “I haven’t made up my mind yet but my friend over there wants to be a doctor.”

The regular little class is being run with the dedication of the brothers, who plan their lessons beforehand each week and carry out small exercises and group presentations to keep the young ones interested and motivated. A field trip is also being planned as the kids said that they want to visit Rawal Dam.

A little hand-painted banner hung on the site says exactly what the class is providing these children: a “ray of hope”.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2012.