Sometimes, dreams do come true. Especially in the case of 9-year-old Muhammad Soomar. Soomar is a boy who has seen nothing but extreme poverty. But thanks to the power of social media, he stepped foot inside a classroom for the first time, yesterday.
This is his story.
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A Day In the Life of Muhammad Soomar
Soomar, a 9 year old kid from Larkana, makes his living by selling sweets and other confectionary items at Shahnawaz Bhutto Public Library Larkana (SBPLL).
Regardless of his social status and financial issues, Soomar was always hungry about learning things. So much that he convinced a regular visitor to the library to teach him the basic reading and sentence writing skills in the evening.
But Muhammad had bigger dreams. He wished for getting a proper education. In a dramatic reversal of fortunes, his wish did come true.
On Monday, Soomar was admitted in The Eastwood School in Larkana’s Sachal Colony.
How Did This Happen?
It all became possible after a picture of Soomar selling candy went viral on social media. People saw an innocent and eager soul, and came forward to help this kid fulfill his dreams. One of these well-wishers included Ahsan Abro, who owns The Eastwood School.
Here is the picture from the library that changed Soomar’s life:
In the photo, Soomar can be seen sitting in the library hall with his bucket full of sweets, trying to learn a few words. Little did he know how much traction this image could get over social media.
It certainly made Mr Abro spring into action, and make Soomar’s life better.
First Day at School
On his first day at school, Soomar was filled with excitement and enthusiasm. Thanks to his tutor at the library, Soomar has learnt basic language skills in English, Urdu, and Sindhi.
Of course, he still has a lot to learn if he is to catch up with his peers, but his willful eyes indicate that it won’t be a problem!
His guardian,Ahsan Abro had this to say about his newest student:
Soomar is a brilliant child with a hunger for learning.
Abro is hopeful that the child will soon catch up with the syllabus.
His Family’s Reaction
According to the librarian, Soomar used to sell candies and sweets at the library in the morning. He also took tuition there in the evening. He did all of it without his family ever finding out.
Since his family also finds it hard to make ends meet, they were initially opposed to Soomar going to school instead of earning money in the morning. Soomar’s elder brother Waheed said that they can hardly run the house, even with Soomar’s earnings of Rs 300 daily thrown in.
“My father used to sell the candies in the library, but he can’t even walk now,” he added.
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Abro said that despite the promise of bearing all his educational expenses; his family is still reluctant about giving permission.
“We’re trying to arrange a part-time job for the boy, so the family will allow him to continue his education,” pledged Abro, who is also trying to arrange free tuitions for the child.
We think people really need to support Soomar’s efforts here. As to what the candy seller wants to be when he grows up, Abro says:
“The boy wants to join the army. His aims are so high. He seems curious to learn.”
