On my 26th birthday, July 25, 2014, my father gave me a monetary gift. He told me to purchase whatever I needed with it for school, whether it be an iPad or money towards a new MacBook. I thought long and hard about putting purpose behind the gift by questioning whether I really needed to buy something. I had all the materials for school I needed. What I did not know was that that envelope would contain the very first donation to Zam Zam.

Zam Zam sprung from an idea that organically grew over time. Given my background in Biology, growing up in a low-income neighborhood, my travels around the world to the Middle East and Africa, and being the child of two refugees from Afghanistan, I understood the importance that water and education had on the quality of life. I knew that the first step to eradicating poverty is by providing an area with access to clean, sustainable water. I studied, researched, and educated myself on the different types of technologies associated with accessing clean water, what regions needed them the most, and what organizations had the same initiative and purpose as I did. 

Clean, sustainable water not only provides opportunity, but stability, peace of mind, and a sense of purpose. It also allows a chance at attaining an education, a critical ingredient to our mission here at Zam Zam. Access to water and education go hand-in-hand in fostering a positive and productive community. 

Since its inception, Zam Zam's success has been predicated on the involvement and sustenance of our volunteers. Over the last few years, we have thrown dozens of events across the world from galas, fundraising dinners, sports tournaments, and personal campaigns on crowdfunding pages. By coming together, we continue to grow.  

We continue to make conscious decisions on ways our impact can be most meaningful in the Middle East, Africa, or wherever we believe we can create opportunity to better the lives of others. Zam Zam has and always will be geared towards providing those less fortunate with the basic necessities of life in the forms of water and education. Our mission will continue to bring clean, sustainable water to those in need, one well at a time. We don't just build wells, we build relationships. 

- Yusuf Ahmad Nessary