The first time he became aware of the various struggles of living in a third world country was when Cyclone Aila caught his attention and he started reading about it in newspapers. His relatives in Bangladesh informed him of the devastating effects the cyclone has had on the nearby villages. Naim learnt that the biggest threat the villagers faced was the lack of pure drinking water. Further research into the matter revealed that arsenic runs beneath the soils of Gopalgonj and contaminates the wells and aquifers. Cyclones like Aila further worsen the situation. He realized that a feasible solution to the problem would be drilling as many tube wells as possible in arsenic free areas before further poison seeps into the ground water. He laid down the ground works of a tube well drilling project and decided to bear part of the cost of the project himself. He used all the money he had earned by working as an intern in a law firm called Denton Wilde Sapte in Kuwait for the construction of one tube well. However one tube well was not enough for bringing about a significant change in the lives of the villagers. Thus Naim decided to raise money to build more tube wells by asking for donations. He drafted brochures to reel in funds from sympathetic organizations. He was extremely surprised at the overwhelming response of many engineering consultant firms. PSC, Khaled Khorafi, GEC Dar (all engineering consultants) contributed to the project with absolutely no insurance of return. They only looked forward to Naim bringing back good news. Immediately after reaching Bangladesh; Naim got to work. Using his father’s contacts he hired contractors and installed five tube wells. Now, the villagers have access to safe drinking water. While working in this project; Naim also served as an intern at BRAC where he learned more deeply about the structural problems of Bangladesh. The entire trip has motivated him to carry out many more such endeavors. He is currently planning to work on the education sector of the village. Naim has a rough sketch of a project whose objective would be to develop the IT sector of the village by increasing the availability of computers and internet.

“Inspiration wasn’t really inspiration at all. What I felt was more like an obligation, and not just because I would be helping a country where my parents happened to be born. It was because I’d be helping people.” – Naim said when I asked him what had inspired him to help out the villagers in Gopalgonj. Naim, despite being just a teenager understands his civil duties towards humanity. Surely his honest efforts will make him successful in helping out many other underprivileged communities.

Writer: Ansha Zaman