“Community service was always part of my life — but a single phone call turned it from an ambition into a mission.
My name is Mohammed Asif Hussain Sohail. Some people call me the Hunger Warrior of Hyderabad, but at heart, I am just a father who turned his grief into a purpose.
I started my journey as a student leader at Osmania University, then worked with NSUI and the Indian Youth Congress. I travelled across 21 states, met thousands of people, and even represented India at the UN Youth Assembly. For me, public service was already a way of life. But in March 2011, everything I believed about service took on a deeper meaning.
While attending the UN Assembly in New York, I received a phone call no parent is prepared for. My three-year-old daughter, Sakina, had passed away due to pneumonia and organ failure. That moment broke me in ways I still cannot put into words. In the years that followed, I also lost both my parents. Their absence still hurts, but their values guide me every single day. They are my strength from heaven.
To honour my daughter and carry forward my parents’ compassion, I started the Sakina Foundation. I built it on one simple belief: God is the provider. And one principle: serve with sincerity, expect nothing in return.
We feed more than 1,000 people every single day — without taking a rupee in donations. It began with my wife cooking 50–100 meals at home. Today, my whole family is involved. Our house has become a small help centre for anyone seeking food, education, medical support, or just someone to sit with them and listen.
So far, we’ve served 3.8 million+ meals. We support women and children who come from difficult and vulnerable situations, help them rebuild their lives with dignity, and ensure access to safety, education, and care.
We’ve organised 100+ free medical camps, trained youth for careers in police, judiciary, and healthcare, and run awareness drives on drugs and child safety. Thanks to programs like Slums to Oxford and Haath Hunnar, many children now have a nurturing space to study, learn new skills, and shape their aspirations.
Even though we don’t accept donations, I am not alone. Volunteers from different walks of life support our work. One of our proud partnerships has been with Amazon, which collaborated with us on education and skill development initiatives — a meaningful encouragement to continue what we do.
Whenever someone asks me how to begin their own journey of service, I tell them the same thing:
“Start small. Share a meal. Offer a kind word. Listen 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