‘Skill Building’ & ‘Empowerment’ lies at the heart of Miles2Smile foundation. We’re excited to announce the launch of our brand-new ‘Hunar Academy’ which will equip young girls and boys from economically disadvantaged sections of society with in-demand skills and provide them with the resources they need to advance in their careers.
Miles2Smile felt the urgent need of skill development among the underprivileged, Madarsa going students & Communal Violence affected families, as these families have a higher number of dropouts & unemployed youth, added to that there is a lack of finance, and educational opportunities in these communities.
More so, youths especially in the Muslim community as an educationally deprived group face maximum barriers in assessing education due to the socio-cultural constraints, which becomes even more difficult with economic deprivation.
Miles2Smile’s Hunar Academy will act as a junction in bridging the gap between education and employment and will build a skilled & future ready generation of youths in underprivileged communities.
There is a dire need to create employment opportunities and provide a means of stable income in these communities. At the heart of our initiative is a desire to help each of the individuals from lower strata of society to have a progressive way towards financial stability.
We were honored to have Mr. Abdul Bari, President of IMAN (Indian Muslim Association of NGOs) and also the President of MASCOTs, as the chief guest at our launch event. An MoU was also signed and exchanged for the collaborations between Miles2Smile and IMAN for the Hunar Academy.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bari emphasized the significance of collaborations among different NGOs to create sustainable sources of livelihood. Ms. Khansa Fahad, Co-Founder of Gurucool, also attended the event as the guest of honor. In her speech, she listed the importance and the best possible way for a skill based setups.
Centered around Miles2Smile’s vision ‘Hunar Academy’ aims to provide free, or low cost teach-enabled, and skill based courses to its students and also guide them for competitive exams.
Miles2Smile thanks to support from Fatima Charitable Trust, TPR, Project Rahee, Meem, Mukhlis Foundation, and Forever Muslim Foundation for the Turkiye – Syria Earthquake relief works.
The moment was also the occasion to felicitate these organizations for their collaborative work with Miles2Smile. The programme was attended by more than 50 delegates from 10 different organizations. Amongst the volunteers awarded, was also the youngest Abdullah, who lent us his small helping in packing the relief materials during the earthquake relief work.
Additionally, we were privileged to have renowned Urdu calligrapher, Wasim Sahab, as our special guest for the occasion. With over 40 years of experience in the field, Mr. Wasim will soon serve as a faculty for Calligraphy classes.
The foundation aims to introduce a comprehensive list of courses which are exclusively designed to help young kids grow as leaders, and changemakers in their communities.
The Hunar Academy’s courses are critical in developing, mobilizing, and activating a powerful generation of youth changemakers who will continue to develop their own leadership while advancing social, economic, human and gender rights in their communities and around the world.
During the launch event, Miles2Smile Founder & Director Aasif Mujtaba described who a changemaker is to him – “A changemaker is someone who takes action to effect positive change in their community, society, or the world at large. They are individuals who recognize challenges and take initiatives to address it through innovative and creative solutions.
Furthermore, he asserted, a changemaker can be anyone – a social entrepreneur, a community organizer, an activist, a volunteer, a techie, or even an ordinary person who makes a small but significant impact through them in their own lives, and in the lives of people around them.
Hunar Academy is a platform for all the young underprivileged students to help them in their self-paced learning experiences, and make available to them knowledge, support, and resources they need to drive a social change in their communities, added Mr. Mujtaba.
Future Goals
- Tap into the inner potential of each student and advance skills, rights, and opportunities for underprivileged girls and boys.
- Contribute to Miles2Smile’s vision in achieving a more economically & socially equitable future for everyone.
Stay tuned for more updates on Hunar Academy, including new course offerings and ways to create sustained social change in your communities.
