Mohammed Sakir Ali is a determined young man who runs a tuition centre at Muraul in Muzaffarpur district, Bihar. A modest thatched structure stands in the middle of the village where aspirations of the community's children take shape. “I wanted to create hope for all the children in my village who did not have an opportunity to study or make a better life. I did not like seeing them wandering aimlessly because of the lack of opportunities”, says Sakir Ali.

One of 4 siblings, Sakir comes from an economically weak family. His mother is a housewife, his father is a landless labourer. After completing his 12th standard Sakir was clueless about his future so his friends suggested he visit our Skills To Succeed project implementing organisation Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) centre and explore the courses offered there. 
After talking to the trainers he figured that our Retail course there could help him chart his future. “The retail classes helped me understand business and how to deal with customers. The trainers at the centre inspired me to do something on my own and hence I started tutoring children in my village,” he says.

“I knew that I wanted to teach since in I was in class 8, but somewhere between growing up and the hardships of life, I had forgotten my dream”, shares Sakir. He started the tuition centre in 2016 after completing the course at AKRSP to help the children of his village and earn a living. The centre started with a few students. He tutored them in math and science, without a fixed fee, and would be happy with whatever they would pay him. He used the money to fund his education and successfully completed his B.Sc while running the centre. Children appearing for their class 10 exams were coached free of cost. The students enrolled at his centre grew rapidly, so he had to find more people to help him and asked his friends to join in to take classes.

Currently, around 200 children are tutored at his centre and most of them are taught free because they come from poor families. Sakir earns around Rupees five thousand per month after all center expenses. “My family wants me to get a government job but my heart is in this. I want to create a school for the children in my village where education is free and good. I am working towards it.” says Sakir with a glint of hope in his eyes.

Young people like Sakir may not have pursued better paying career options but the fact that despite all odds they are motivated to build career journeys for issues that are important to them, for people that they care for, makes us glad to have been part of their story.

After all it's not just the paycheck opportunities we hope to enhance for youth through the MyQuest program. The aim is to strengthen their lifelong learning and earning potential, alongside building their confidence and personal development, to help them become compelling agents of change within their communities.