“Fifteen 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 my core, I’m just a father who lost his daughter and found a purpose.

My early years in Hyderabad were ambitious. As a student leader at Osmania University, I joined NSUI and later the Indian Youth Congress. Public service led me across 21 Indian states and to the United Nations multiple times, even working closely with Rahul Gandhi. I thought a political career was my destiny.

But fate had other plans. In Match 2011, while at the UN Youth Assembly in New York, I received the call no parent is prepared for: my three-year-old daughter, Sakina, had passed away in Chicago from pneumonia and multiple organ failure. We tried everything, but couldn’t save her. That pain never leaves. A few years later, I also lost both my parents. Everything shifted. Politics no longer mattered. I stepped away from it all, driven by a deeper calling.

I started the Sakina Foundation, named after my beloved daughter. ‘Their souls are my strength,’ I often say. ‘They guide me from heaven every day.’ Inspired by my parents’ compassion and religious teachings on serving humanity, I built the foundation on one timeless principle: Serve with sincerity, expect nothing in return.

Over the years, the Sakina Foundation has fed over 1,000 people daily, regardless of background, without accepting a single rupee in donations. ‘Hunger has no religion,’ I believe. It began with my wife cooking 50-100 meals daily; today, my entire family, including my children, is actively involved. I spend most of my earnings on this work, living simply, right in the same house where hundreds gather daily seeking help with education, health, legal issues, or personal crises. I listen to each one, offering support often when no one else will.

But feeding the hungry is just one part of our mission. We’ve served over 3.8 million meals. Our work extends to education and skill development in slums through initiatives like Slums to Oxford and the Haath Hunnar Parentely Centres.

We’ve rescued women and children from human trafficking and child labor, conducted over 100 free medical and blood donation camps, and provide free training for government job aspirants, including police, judiciary, and healthcare roles. We also lead anti-drug campaigns and pan-India upliftment initiatives. We operate learning and skill training centers and foster community harmony through ‘Know Your Neighbour, Know Your Colony’ and ‘Hamara Hyderabad, Hamari Zimmedari,’ which includes maintaining masjids and temples. During COVID-19, we ran ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ and ‘Vaccine on Wheels,’ reaching those without hospital access.

Our mission’s soul lies in its direct community engagement. My team works in slums, conducting surveys and building one-on-one connections. Sustaining this non-funded, volunteer-run mission brings immense challenges. We don’t accept donations, nor do we involve or praise those seeking limelight. But till my last breath, I will not stop serving humanity.

Among countless transformed lives, one young girl, a trafficking victim now studying through our Slums to Oxford program, stands out. She supports herself and mentors other girls. ‘Kids who’d never held a pencil are now reading, learning, dreaming,’ I say with emotion. ‘That’s the power of compassion.’

Though I accept no donations, I’m not alone. A diverse volunteer network offers support. Notably, Amazon partnered with the foundation on select education and skill-building projects, validating our authentic impact.

In the face of unimaginable loss, I built something eternal: a movement of compassion, dignity, and hope. In my world, hunger meets food, sorrow meets kindness, and despair finds direction. Hyderabad may call me the Hunger Warrior and Messiah of the Poor, but I am a silent soldier for humanity, proving daily that love never dies… it multiplies.”

• Mohammad Asif Hussain Sohail, Founder, Sakina Foundation Trust