“Sixteen years ago, my life took a turn I never anticipated. I’m Mohammed Asif Hussain Sohail, known to many as the Hunger Warrior of Hyderabad. But at heart, I’m just a father who lost his daughter and found a purpose.
I began as a student leader at Osmania University, joined NSUI and the Indian Youth Congress, travelled across 21 Indian states, and even reached the UN Youth Assembly. I once believed public service through politics was my path, until March 2011 changed everything.
While attending the UN Assembly in New York, I got the call no parent is ready for: my three-year-old daughter, Sakina, had passed away in Chicago from pneumonia and organ failure. Despite every effort, we couldn’t save her. A few years later, I lost both my parents. That grief shifted my focus from politics to something even more personal. Their souls are my strength. They guide me from heaven every day.
I started the Sakina Foundation in her name, inspired by my parents’ compassion and the belief that God is the provider. Built on one principle — serve with sincerity, expect nothing in return — we feed more than 1,000 people every day without accepting a rupee in donations. It began with my wife cooking 50–100 meals.
Now, my entire family is involved. We live simply, and our home is a help centre for those seeking food, education, health, or even just someone to listen.
Over the years, we have served lakhs of meals, supported women and children in vulnerable situations, conducted more than 100 free medical camps, trained youth for police, judiciary, and healthcare jobs, and led anti-drug drives. Programs like Slums to Oxford and Haath Hunnar empower children who’d never held a pencil to now read, learn, and dream.
Among countless transformed lives, one young girl who came to us from a difficult situation now studies through our Slums to Oxford program. She supports herself and mentors other girls. That’s the power of compassion.
To those wanting to help, I advise, ‘Start small. Share a meal. Offer a kind word. Give an ear to someone’s pain. You don’t need money to change a life. Just start. The Almighty will guide the rest.'”
— Mohammed Asif Hussain Sohail