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Water

Give the Gift of Clean Water
— An Ever-Flowing Charity, Sadaqah Jariyah

The Water Crisis Affects Millions

There is a global water crisis that affects millions of people around the world. People without access to safe, clean water at home spend 200 million hours collecting clean water each year. 

This adds up to 8.3 million days

collecting clean water each year
(or more than 22,800 years!)

Clean water collection burden falls disproportionately on women and children. It takes time away from education or even prevents children from attending school at all. 

Not having access to clean, safe water is deadly for children. 

More than 300,000 children

under 5 years old die annually from diseases due to unsafe drinking water.

zakat jumbotron water texture v2

How You Can Help

Give to our clean water program

Our clean water program is dedicated to help our fellow brothers and sisters gain access to safe water easily.

We dig and install hand pumps and wells that provide a source of safe, clean water to communities worldwide. We also teach water and sanitation awareness to communities and provide critical testing for arsenic contamination.

If you give the gift of safe, clean water, you also have the option of dedicating a hand pump or well to a loved one as a source of Sadaqah Jariyah. 

The beginnings of a water well project in India. | Zakat Foundation of America photo
The beginnings of a water well project in India. | Zakat Foundation of America photo

Ready to Donate a Safe, Clean Water Source? 

To give the gift of clean water, please follow the steps below.

We’ve made it easy for you. Simply start your Sadaqah Jariyah Water donation process here. You’ll be able to select a Tribute Type if you’re dedicating your water source to a loved one.

Hand Pump
$500
  • Minimum 15-year lifespan
  • 40-60 ft. below surface level
  • Water extracted from pool
  • Requires physical effort
Donate Hand Pump
Greatest Impact
Water Well
$3,000
  • Minimum 30-year lifespan
  • 100-150 ft. below surface
  • Water from freshwater source
  • Minimal physical effort
Donate Water Well
Water Fund
$ Other
Any Amount Helps
  • Every dollar given toward our water fund will help provide clean, safe drinking water to communities in need
Donate
What Happens Next? 

Step 1

Receive Confirmation

After your donation, you will receive an email confirmation from our Sadaqah Jariyah Water team.

Step 2

Get Location

In approximately 6-8 weeks our team will circle back letting you know exactly what country your water source will be constructed in.

Step 3

Stay updated

From there, you’ll be notified once your water source is constructed, our team will share details of your water project. We promise to stay connected with you throughout this journey of ever-flowing charity.

Things to keep in mind: Our Water Well types vary from country to country based on preference. Mali, Mauritania, and Cambodia utilize a pulley. Kenya, Ghana, and India work with a pump on top of the well. Furthermore, beneficiaries range from region to region. If your water is well constructed in a more metropolitan region, there will be more traffic and more beneficiaries (ranging anywhere from 500-1,000). If it is in a more rural region, there will be fewer beneficiaries (150-300).

FAQ's

All water projects take anywhere from 6-8 months to complete. *Subject to varying time frames, due to various reasons such as weather, access, equipment, paperwork, disease outbreaks, and human resources. A team member will keep you posted if your specific timeline falls outside this date range.

Each well has a lifespan expected to last at least 30 years, and each pump is expected to last at least 15 years, depending on the maintenance, weather conditions, and material with which it has been constructed. Every three years, Zakat Foundation of America representatives perform a follow-up regarding the state and productivity of our water projects to ensure they are in good working condition. Our team will contact you if ever there is an unexpected issue with your water project.

Our team works with partners all over the world to assess which countries need these water wells the most, and which areas in those countries are accessible to beneficiaries. We look deep into specifics of regions that are at high risk, and are poverty stricken in order to justify if a water well makes more sense then a water pump.

A water well serves as having the greatest impact to a community because it is dug deeper into the ground and extracts water directly from a fresh water source, whereas a hand pump extracts water from a pool of water that forms from a fresh water source. A water well has a lifespan of 30 years, while a hand pump has a lifespan of 15 years.

Yes, however it may add time to the completion date. We always encourage donors for the swiftest completion to allow the Programs Department to allocate their project.

A team member will contact you via email to confirm receipt of your donation. Then you will receive a confirmation in a matter of 6-8 weeks of the region in which your water well or pump will be constructed. Lastly, about 6-8 months after, you will receive a final email with a photo of your completed project. Note, timing of completion is subject to vary.

It costs 3,000 dollars to construct a water well, whereas a water pump costs 500 dollars. The difference in cost is due to the amount of labor it takes to dig and construct a water well from start to finish. The benefits that come from a water well are more significant.

Yes, you are able to dedicate a water source. When you fill out the donation form you will  see a box that says “Tribute Name for Water | Sadaqah Jariyah.” Please make sure the spelling is correct when inputting the name.

The Arabic translation for the term “Sadaqah” is charity and “Jariyah” means flowing. That is why Sadaqah Jariyah is referred to as the “ever-flowing charity.” The phrase “ever-flowing charity” reflects this type of charity’s special capacity to reach both recipients and giver after the donor’s death.  For a more detailed definition please read our blog post https://www.zakat.org/what-is-sadaqah-jariyah-charity-ever-flowing.

We are proud to say that about  250K-300K individuals have benefitted from our water program since the program's inception.

Program Updates

Consider donating water today! Give the Gift of Water


Payment Methods Accepted

Your donations are tax exempt under the section 170 of the 501(c)(3) section of the IRS code. Zakat Foundation of America Tax EIN: 36-4476244. For more information on tax exempt status please refer to our IRS Code letter.

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