Dr Mohsin Raza, my father, has shown deep sensitivity toward the issue of child labour, especially involving children from slums. He has been vocally critical of educated individuals employing young girls for household chores like sweeping floors, washing dishes, and caring for infants. Notably, he has never employed a child in his home. Additionally, he has consistently highlighted the plight of children scavenging through garbage to collect reusable items. He has voiced strong concerns about the insensitivity of our educated and elite society toward these marginalized children. The view of these children as condemned has deeply affected us, leading to the idea of starting a school for them.

Our resources, however, were quite limited. We enrolled many children in various schools and covered their expenses, but the majority eventually dropped out. The primary reason was that these children were not prepared for school life, which involved attending school. They earn a livelihood by collecting reusable items from garbage and earn 50 to 100 rupees a day from collecting plastics.

Together with Dr. Raza and the team, we surveyed impoverished areas and slum complexes around the AMU campus and were disheartened by what we saw. These children live without aspirations or plans for the future. We pledged to support these impoverished communities.

The first centre was established at our residence on August 12, 2016, and formally inaugurated on August 15, 2016, by Prof. Mobashir, Dr Amanullah Khan, Dean of JNMC, Aligarh, and Prof. Shahid Ali Siddiqui, Chairman of the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology at JNMC, Aligarh.The Chief gust was Mr Pramod Kumar a noted Industrialist and Philanthropist of Aligarh.

We discovered a large slum complex beside Iqra Senior School on Kwarsee Bypass. Instead of celebrating Sir Syed Day with speeches,at home and dinners,we opened our second center in this complex, inaugurated by Dr. Feeroz Talat, Ex Hony. Secretary of the All India Muslim Social Uplift Society and Coaching Center,which my father started for PMT coaching on 18th jine 1968 at Sultan Jahan Manzil, Aligarh.

This Kwarsee center was sponsored by Dr. Ashraf Mateen of Zakir Hussain Engineering College,AMU Aligarh, where we enrolled over 40 children.

This is how the UMEED EDUCATION & WELFARE began.

Some boys from Ambedkar Hall,Mr Nasser & friends were running a center by name “Fikr Sapno ki”. This center was acquired by Mr Saad Hameed at Ferdos nagar Aligarh as 3rd center.

People kept joining and made a caravan

Of Umeed education centers.

We now have 23 centers in Aligarh with over 1500 kids.and had one in ThakurGanj,Lucknow,closed due to covid, another in Allahabad also closed .

Many of our centers are fully sponsored. I urge my friends to consider opening similar centers in their towns,villages, and neighborhoods across the country. We will provide the necessary assistance and know-how.

Warm regards,

Dr Syed Mansour Raza

Secretary