"I have never felt angry but sad." 

"I was sad because my teacher often hit and punished me as I had difficulty understanding the school lessons and left behind the class."  

An 11-year-old boy named Zay Yar distanced himself from education and spent most of his time with family farming, hunting wild animals, and gathering fruits in the village. Adding to that, the time gap caused by COVID-19 and the country's situation, the boy could not remember how to write and read the letters and words. When school resumed, he struggled to catch up with the lessons, and his teacher would punish him for falling behind the rest of the class.  

When Save the Children's reading club reached the village, Zay Yar's mother enrolled him in the club to improve his reading and writing skills. Although their house was about an hour away from the reading club, Zay Yar's family supported and encouraged him to attend the classes regularly. After joining the club, Zay Yar found joy in learning new words and became more active in reading and learning. Even though he joined the basic level despite his age, he was proud of his accomplishments.  

"My main struggle was with reading. After attending the reading club and learning from the volunteer teachers, I can read properly now. The school teacher no longer punishes me. I started learning the alphabet, then I learned poems," said Zay Yar.  

Zay Yar progressed from learning the alphabet and constructing sentences to identifying false sentences. He would borrow books from the club's book bank to read at home. With each book he read, he could grasp the content, understand underlying meanings, and learn valuable lessons from different stories, applying them to his habits, such as saving money.  

From being a child who struggled with school lessons, Zay Yar has transformed into an ambitious young individual with aspirations of becoming a successful engineer. He remains dedicated to reading new books to widen his knowledge horizon.  

"His interest and happiness lie in reading and learning now. His enthusiasm has encouraged us to provide full support. I am determined to see him receive a comprehensive education. Within these three months of attending the class, his improvement is astonishing,” concluded his mother.