WHILE strolling down a street in Sandakan four years ago, Usman Ibrahim (pix) was shocked at the sight of children begging from strangers.
“I wanted to know why they were not at school,” he told theSun yesterday.
“It was only after a girl spoke to me that I realised they were stateless.
“They just didn’t have the money to attend school.”
Being a teacher and a volunteer for teaching programmes, the 27-year-old knew better than most the value of a basic education.
He realised that without skills like reading, writing and counting, the children would be left behind in life.
Usman decided that he could help them by giving them access to education, and together with a few like-minded friends, he talked to the children’s families, most of whom were living in squatter houses in the fringes of the town.
“Initially, the parents thought we were immigration officers.
“They would ask: ‘What did my child do?’
“One family even thought we were kidnappers, even after agreeing to send their child to our school.”
To pursue his objective, he quit his job and set up a non-profit organisation called Cahaya Society with a RM5,000 investment.
Quite appropriately, it came with the tagline “Education for All”.
With five volunteers, Usman started a school which he named Cahaya Learning Centre (CLC) last year.
Today, the school has about 30 pupils.
“Our aim is to reduce illiteracy among children from poor families.
“They are mostly undocumented, so they are unable to or cannot afford to go to a normal school.
“We give them a safe place where they can learn.”
The children, aged eight to 15, learn the arts, health and hygiene, eco-education and childcare.
For a more creative pursuit, they also learn how to play the ukulele.
Activities such as painting, singing, storytelling, role play and games have been added to engage the pupils and help them better understand their lessons.
Usman, the third of eight children, attributed his desire to help the stateless children to a similar childhood experience.
“I could not read or write until I started school at age nine, and I was a slow learner.
“A teacher called Cikgu Naima saw that I needed to work harder so she gave me private lessons.
“Nine months later, I was able to read and write,” he said.
To keep his programme going, Usman initiated fund-raising activities such as selling T-shirts through Facebook.
Just a year on, he already has success stories.
“I’m most proud of Karlifa Najuma, the girl who first came to ask me for money.
“Her personality has changed. She’s livelier and has begun to help others, too.”
The next step for Usman is to expand the programme beyond Sandakan.
“Education is a right.
“No child should be deprived of it.”
