Chapter 01 · One well
It started with one well.
In Uganda, it started with wells. That was all it was meant to be.
Before the well
Water, carried home.
Jerrycans on heads and on bikes, from wherever the water was that day.
Then another
And another.
Each one with a name on it.
Chapter 02 · The masjid
Let's try and build a masjid.
All of this is for the sake of Allah. We never thought it would grow this big.
Built 2023
The adhan. Five prayers a day, since.
Chapter 03 · The village
The masjid. One dorm. A head house. A toilet. That was the whole compound.
2024.
Now.
One well became this.
Alhamdulillah.
And the work kept growing
The dining hall, going up.
Brick by brick, as the money comes in.
At some point, this stopped being a project.
People were depending on us.
Buildings are the easy part.
Chapter 04 · One ordinary day at Our Ummah
Morning
A page memorised. Checked, line by line.
School
Hands up. Pens to paper.
Midday
Salah, together.
“I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise.”
The Prophet ﷺ — Sahih al-Bukhari
Lunch
Zulfiq's wife at the pot. Lunch, together.
Afternoon
Washing up. Clothes, by hand.
Afternoon
Her own bed.
On the dormitory wall
A heart for every girl. A heart for every donor.
The Tree of Love. Every heart carries a name: the girls who sleep here, and the thirteen sisters whose fundraiser built the room. Then they find their own.
After class
Football.
After class
The bikes come out.
Evening
Dinner, together.
Chapter 05 · The slums
And the work doesn't stop at the gates.
It's a long drive from the compound. Many of the children who live with us came from here — this is what they were saved from.
Hot meals
Cooked in the slums. Handed out directly.
Ramadan
Iftar packs, for a girls' orphanage — and the others.
Food parcels
Food parcels. Packed by hand, carried to the door.
Qur'ans and clothes
Handed out, one each.
Eid at the compound
Bouncing. Face paint. A clown. Cake.
The whole compound, and the village children too.
Eid at the compound
And the bouncy castle.
Chapter 06 · We are there
We keep coming back.
I try to come every three to six months. Volunteers from here come with us.
Jibreel · UK — Zulfiq · Uganda
With our own hands
Digging. Laying bricks.
Nobody stands and watches.
Volunteers from the UK
Unloading bricks. Painting, with the boys.
And then
Water fights.
That's me getting soaked — and Zulfiq with the water gun.
And then
Water balloons.
After class
Boxing with Jibreel.
After class
Ring games with Amy.
Volunteers
Hamza, teaching Qur'an.
Volunteers
Natalie and the skipping rope.
Volunteers from the UK
Stefan Jr, Jerome, Amy, Tariro, Jacob.
The children
They know us.
Leaving
Until next time.
Saying goodbye in the masjid. It never gets easier.
Chapter 07 · Who we are
A word from Jibreel.
Tap to hear him, from the compound.
Who lives here.
The people who give their lives to it
Zulfiq · project manager, Uganda
Zulfiq, his wives and his mother.
They live on the compound, with the children, and carry it every day.
Zulfiq and Aisha
In their own words.
And the staff
Teachers, cooks, cleaners — the people who keep it running.
The children
In their own words.
From the children
They know who looks after them.
The children make dua for the people who sponsor them. Every day.
This story started with one well.
It isn’t finished.
Chapter 08 · Be part of what comes next
You know this place now. Thirty children live here, and not all of them have a sponsor yet.
The one that matters most
Sponsor a child · £37 a month
A home, food and teachers. You choose your child, and you hear back every three months. Zakat-eligible.
Where this story began
Give a well
New well £1,300 · repair £200. Your name, or someone you love, on the plaque.
Brick by brick
Keep building
A one-off gift, any amount, to whatever the compound needs next.
For the sake of Allah.