Nur-e-Alam

Today I’ll tell you the story of Nur-e-Alam, a young sixteen-year-old boy - a diamond in the rough! When we first started our school in 2015, Nur was eleven and he used to visit our school and would listen to the teachers while standing outside the classrooms. Eventually, I spoke with him and came to know that he attends in Class 2 and that he does not like the school where he was attending. Instead, he loves the way our teachers teach in the classes, so he opted to listen silently from outside. I was overwhelmed when he asked “Sir, will you admit me in your school?”

His father was a mason and was unemployed, hence they depended on his elder sister’s earnings. I paused for a moment and gave this a thought. I was convinced that admitting him in our school was the right thing to do. He continues to love our school. Also, considering his poverty, we made a tea stall for him so that he could still work to earn and does not drop out of school.

One day we invited some volunteers from the Art Institute to our school and they all noticed Nur-e-Alam’s amazing drawing skills. We arranged an art competition for the children and Nur-e-Alam stood out from the crowd. I felt nostalgic recalling his journey with us from the first day, and we cherish the fact that people showed interest in buying his paintings.

Time has changed and due to the unemployment during the COVID pandemic, Nur-e-Alam’s family had to move to the village. I miss his enthusiastic talents and continue giving him the assurance that we will always be there for him.

Muinul Faisal
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Note: Agami has taken the initiative to establish an endowment fund to provide scholarships and stipends to gifted and talented children like this to pursue their dreams. We are looking for your support. If you long to see a happy ending to stories like this, please send us an email to grants-admin@agami.org with your pledge.