Gift of Life: Wells for Turuk Khola - in Memory

I sadly lost my Father quite suddenly a few months ago to a tragic heart attack and my Grandmother just two months prior. It's been a testing time for my family and I've been searching for a way to honour their memory in a meaningful way.

Still or Sparkling?

Water as we know is the immeasurable gift of life on our planet. It's something that we can easily take for granted when we're living in the modern world, surrounded by so many choices.

I'd love your help to build two deep tube wells in my village of Turuk Khola in Sylhet (Bangladesh). My family are getting together to try and get these built in an area where there's a lack of access to clean, safe drinking water and it's become more of a challenge in recent years.

This is not just a short-term solution. The deep tube wells will be a long-lasting legacy project that will be maintained to ensure the community continues to have access to clean water for years to come. We'd like for it to be a meaningful way to honour the memory of my late father Iqbal Chowdhury and my grandmother Syeda Ashrafunnessa.

My Father dedicated his life to the service of others and has impacted the lives of more people than just my immediate family. We'd like for this to be the start of something bigger in the way of helping our communities (both here in the UK and Bangladesh)

Please consider donating to this important cause. Even a small contribution can make a big difference, and your support will be greatly appreciated by the people of our village.

Where your money is going

Our initial estimated costs of two deep tube wells will cover the installation of the wells, as well as the required boring needed to dig deep enough to access water free of arsenic and iron. The deeper the bore, the better the quality of the water.

The fundraising goal costs will also include any ongoing costs involved in maintaining the wells and the electrical infrastructure to support them.

To all those donating, once I have pictures, videos and updates on the builds, I'll share them on this page. Once we begin building, we're looking at an estimated timeline of 3 months to complete each well.

Why we are doing this project - Sadaqah Jariyah

Sadaqah Jariyah is a concept in Islam that refers to a form of ongoing or perpetual charity. It is an act of giving that continues to provide benefits and blessings to people even after the giver has passed away.

The idea behind Sadaqah Jariyah is that by giving to others, one can earn rewards that continue to accumulate even after their death. This form of charity can take many different forms, such as building a well or a mosque, providing scholarships for students, or even planting trees or helping to preserve the environment.

The benefits of Sadaqah Jariyah are not only limited to the recipients of the charity but also extend to the giver. This act of giving can help one to develop a sense of empathy and compassion towards others, and can also provide a sense of purpose and fulfilment in life.

Overall, Sadaqah Jariyah is a concept that emphasizes the importance of giving back to society and making a positive impact on the world, both in this life and the hereafter.

Who is involved

I'm working on this project with my cousins (Zaima, Iffath, Mahdi, Zakiyah) and my Aunt Sahina. My Uncle Zashim (Dad's brother) will be the one liaising with my family living out there to get the wells built. So, no marketing teams, no taking salaries. It's just us putting this together.

As part of the launch of this initiative, we'll be running our family yakitori stall at the end of this month as part of the Francis Road Jumble Trail where we're donating 50% of the profits during the day to this campaign. We'll also be selling a few extra things on the day to help with the fundraising.