Fareed has learned early in life that responsibilities sometimes arrive before childhood has had the chance to unfold. Living in Reasi, Jammu, he lost his father when he was learning what simply being a child meant. Within a short span of time, the childhood eroded and responsibilities crept in. When children of his age were frolicking carelessly, Fareed was embracing the responsibilities of his house. What buoyed his heart was his education. The school. The madrassa.
With dedication and determination, he studied, passing each class with excellence. As he was moving forward, thinking to erode the challenges his family faced, another fray unfolded. Cloud bursts, landslides, and flash floods hit Jammu and Kashmir, swallowing homes, livestock, and livelihoods and destroying infrastructures, schools, and education.
Fareed too saw his education vanishing, and hopes of starting it seemed fragile. Already belonging to a family battling financially, restarting all over again seemed something challenging; his family could not afford to bear. In the meantime, the news of Jammu and Kashmir’s nature fury was traveling in the country, urging people to feel the pain, provide the assistance, and help people sustain normalcy.
With others, it reached Miles2Smile as well, which in turn booked its routes towards Jammu and Kashmir. On its journey, the Foundation met complicated roads, broken terrain, washed-away bridges, and unpleasant weather, but it could not stop its determination to reach the survivors, hear their ordeal, and provide respite. Miles2Smile reached every nook and cranny of the devastated area, listening carefully, and helping selflessly. While conducting its survey, the Foundation learned about Resai—an area where reaching was a challenge, but the lives of people living there were even more challenging.
As Miles2Smile reached the area, soon a survey was conducted to learn about the gaps in education, during which the Foundation met Fareed. His determination and dedication towards education moved the team, offering him an opportunity to restart what has been lost. With the assistance of Miles2Smile, Fareed was enrolled in a Madrassa where he is continuing his spiritual journey alongside learning English, math, and science. Fareed, now studying in Class 9, understands the sacrifices his mother makes. He has grown increasingly conscious of the responsibilities she carries and tries to help her with household work whenever he can.
“I would not have found my path towards education again had Miles2Smile not helped me,” he says. “I am grateful for having known them, for assisting me in the difficult phase of my life,” Fareed says. The journey of Fareed is still unfolding, shaped by grief, responsibility, and the determination to keep learning.
