Leading a community that believes in philanthropy is a big responsibility. Muhammed Youssef is the founder and leader of such a group that focuses on giving back to the community by educating children. There are thousands of underprivileged students in Egypt who don’t get a proper education. They are either homeless or their parents cannot afford to provide them the education they need.
Muhammd is a giver. He says, “You can’t imagine how privileged you are until you see these students. I feel that sharing is caring. And if you share your education with these children, you are creating an opportunity for them to make their lives better. They will be able to get the same exposure as the rest of the kids. Donating money is easy. But it takes a lot of effort to gather the kids and convince them to study.”
Challenges with starting his charity
You often see how a charity is changing the lives of many. But do you know the challenges that the founder has to go through before starting the charitable organization? At 21, Muhammed has already made a massive impact in the lives of many less fortunate students. However, it wasn’t a smooth journey for him.
“The biggest challenge was to convince the parents that I’m educating their students for their betterment. Many parents thought that we would use their kids for child labor. They were skeptical about our vision. It took a lot of time to convince the parents and then the students. We had to tell them that they wouldn’t need to pay anything as we would provide books and everything for free. All they need to do is send their kids so we can teach them. The students were also feeling afraid because they were not used to getting such facilities. But eventually, we managed to make everything work according to our plan.”
Why is philanthropy important?
It is fortunate that you worked hard and got your dream job. But many people are not that lucky. They don’t even have a roof above their heads. And educating their children may seem like a distant dream. Does that mean they don’t want their kids to be educated? They do. But they are helpless. And it’s people like Muhammed that come to their rescue.
Giving back may not be in the form of money. Of course, if you can’t afford to spend time with the kids due to your work schedule, you can help the organization with money to buy books, food, and clothes. But it’s the thought that matters. Many people believe in donating just to get publicity. Philanthropy isn’t like that. You can always share the fact that an organization needs help to help kids.
According to Muhammed, “I never felt that I need to advertise myself to make people join this community. If you believe in philanthropy, you are most welcome to join any time. Even the smallest contribution can go a long way to making a difference in the lives of these children.”
Muhammed is fast becoming a national figure due to his good deeds. His work is so inspiring that many kids now want to become like him in the future.
