Young Noor stood at the front of his third grade classroom, clutching his report card with shaking hands. Number one. Another time. His educator beamed with joy. His schoolmates cheered. For a short, precious moment, the 9-year-old boy imagined his ambitions of being a soldier—of helping his homeland, of causing his parents pleased—were within reach.
That was 90 days ago.
Now, Noor isn't in school. He assists his dad in the carpentry workshop, practicing to polish furniture in place of mastering mathematics. His school attire sits in the closet, unused but neat. His textbooks sit arranged in the corner, their pages no longer flipping.
Noor never failed. His parents did all they could. And still, it couldn't sustain him.
This is the story of how poverty goes beyond limiting opportunity—it removes it completely, even for the smartest children who do all that's required and more.
Despite Top Results Proves Sufficient
Noor Rehman's dad labors as a craftsman in Laliyani, a modest community in Kasur district, Punjab, Pakistan. He's experienced. He's hardworking. He departs home before sunrise and comes back after dark, his hands calloused from decades of shaping wood into pieces, doorframes, and ornamental items.
On profitable months, he earns 20,000 rupees—approximately $70 USD. On lean months, less.
From that Education income, his household of six must cover:
- Rent for their little home
- Groceries for four children
- Bills (power, water, gas)
- Medical expenses when children become unwell
- Commute costs
- Clothing
- Additional expenses
The calculations of economic struggle are basic and harsh. There's never enough. Every unit of currency is already spent prior to it's earned. Every choice is a choice between essentials, not once between essential items and comfort.
When Noor's school fees were required—together with expenses for his siblings' education—his father faced an insurmountable equation. The numbers wouldn't work. They don't do.
Some expense had to give. Some family member had to give up.
Noor, as the senior child, realized first. He is conscientious. He's wise exceeding his years. He realized what his parents couldn't say openly: his education was the outlay they could no longer afford.
He didn't cry. He didn't complain. He just arranged his school clothes, set aside his learning materials, and requested his father to show him the craft.
Since that's what young people in financial struggle learn from the start—how to give up their dreams without fuss, without burdening parents who are presently bearing greater weight than they can sustain.