Eight-year-old Asmaul Husnara lives in the quiet corners of a settlement camp in Nuh. Her days are filled with the laughter of her siblings—seven-year-old Humaira and their baby brother Mohammad Hassan, who is just ten months old. Their father, Asgar Ali, works hard each day as a daily wage laborer, while their mother, Ismat Aara, looks after the children and manages the little they have. Life is not easy, but they carry on with quiet resilience.
Asmaul is a sweet, cheerful girl with a shy smile and a deep love for poetry. She once attended a nearby government school, where she learned simple Hindi rhymes like Hathi Raja Bade Bade and Machhli Jaal Ki Rani Hai. Her memory for these verses is so sharp, she can recite them with full expressions and in perfect rhythm. Every time the Shaagird Foundation team visits the camp, she eagerly stands up with her friends to perform the poems, her eyes gleaming with joy and pride.
Her favorite game is hide and seek. It is not just a way to pass time but a source of endless giggles and companionship in the otherwise harsh life of the camp. Asma’s family came to India from Bangladesh two years ago, having fled unimaginable hardships. Even after settling here, they’ve faced continued uncertainty and struggle. Life in the camp is far from secure—scarcity, displacement, and trauma are part of their daily reality.
In December, tragedy struck again when a fire broke out in the camp. Asmaul Husnara’s family lost everything—their temporary home, belongings, clothes, and school materials were reduced to ashes. The fire left the entire family shaken, but not broken.
Shaagird Foundation, having worked closely with the community, responded immediately. Our first step was to ensure basic education to children. We built a small but vibrant learning center for Asma and chldren like her. It became a place of routine, play, and learning for children like Asma, Humaira, and many others. Here, they resumed their education, picked up books again, sang poems, learned numbers, and rediscovered a sense of normalcy.
For us at Shaagird Foundation, helping Asma means more than just providing education. It’s about giving her the tools to explore the world with confidence. Like in her favorite game of hide and seek, we want her to keep seeking—not just hiding—from life’s difficulties. We want her to find joy in books, strength in learning, and the power to dream. One day, we hope to see Asma not only reciting poems but also writing her own story—one where she finds every piece of happiness that was once hidden from her.
