When children of her age are busy attending tuition classes to master their academic subjects, 12-year-old Fathima Sohal has started a free English learning programme for the children in her neighbourhood. Fathima, who is a higher grade student of Hash Future School, an online school, chalked out the programme as part of her school’s social project. She noticed that the kids in her area struggled with communicating in English, and when her school encouraged students to come up with projects that could benefit society, she decided to act.

Fathima aimed to use her expertise in the language to teach the children in her neighbourhood the nuances of communicating in English in an engaging and enjoyable way. The programme is designed to boost the children's confidence and help them overcome any inferiority complex related to English communication.

Her family fully supported her idea. When she gauged the interest of the neighbourhood children, 12 of them enrolled in the programme immediately.

“I started a community project to teach English to the children in my neighbourhood. Presently, I have 12 students who don’t know elementary English. I take classes following a fixed schedule, and I enjoy teaching the children,” says Fathima, who is the daughter of Muvattupuzha natives Ajit Lala and Fenzi Kadar.

Fathima has also started a YouTube channel to upload classes, providing a platform for her students to study and revise the material taught in class. Both students and their parents have found the videos to be very helpful.

Additionally, Fathima is working to become a member of ‘Kidsword,’ an NGO focused on teaching English to young children. By joining ‘Kidsword,’ she hopes to extend the benefits of her English teaching programme to more children in the community. Besides her teaching endeavours, Fathima also sells designer candles to make pocket money.