Donating 40 years' savings for children with cancer

Kazi Mohammad Ali grew up amidst hardship. His father worked in the railway department and struggled to bring up his six sons and three daughters. He saw his father invariably having to borrow money at the end of every month to make ends meet. In fact he saw struggle everywhere. He worked in a pharmaceutical company and saw the suffering of the poor patients in hospital. In fact, it was after joining this job that Mohammad Ali was determined "to do something for the people."

And now Mohammed Ali, a resident of Hamzarbagh of Muradpur in Chattogram city, is finally fulfilling his commitment to "do something." Over the past 40 years he painstakingly saved Tk 5 million (Tk 50 lakh) and he has handed this over for the treatment of children with cancer.

Mohammad Ali had opened a waqf account with Social Islami Bank and deposited the money there in the name of Chattogram Medical College Hospital Patient Welfare Association. This association will use the annual Tk 400,000 profit from there for the treatment of cancer patients under the age of 18.

There is a story behind why Mohammad Ali had made this contribution towards cancer patients. Around 20 years ago Mohammad Ali's mother died of cancer. Around five years after that, his niece Nahida Shoma died of cancer too. And earlier he had seen his grandfather dying of the same disease. All of these incidents moved the near 80-year-old Mohammad Ali to create this fund for child cancer patients.

He saved his money in secret. He says he joined a pharmaceutical company in 1996 as a sales rep. Initially he would help out patients with medicines and a little money. Later he decided that he would do something on a larger scale and then began saving money, that too in a tin container.

Mohammad Ali said, "I was a sales representative at Pfizer first and later joined Renata. My salary was enough to run my family. I would see poor patients in Chittagong Medical College and their plight pained me. That's why I decided to start savings. I began living rather frugally. I would quietly save my incentive and transport allowance in a tin container in the corner of my room. In 2000 when I had managed to save a considerable amount, I opened an account in the name of 'Kazi and Hossain Foundation', named after my parents.

Over the next 20 years Mohammad Ali devised various means of increasing the funds. He would lend money to mid-level businessmen among his acquaintances at the same interest rate as banks. When repaid, he would deposit the principal amount along with the interest back into the foundation account so he would be able to donate this in future. Not many people knew of his plans, not even his family.

He had consulted just a few people about these funds. Some suggested him donate this to a madrasa, some to an orphanage and so on. But Mohammad Ali had ailing children in his mind. He eventually informed his family that he would donate the money to the Patients Welfare Association. His family was taken aback when they heard the sum of money. Some of them even protested slightly, but Mohammad Ali was determined. He handed over Tk 5 million (Tk 50 lakh) for cancer-afflicted children.

A few weeks ago, along with his family, he transferred the waqf account documents to the Patients Welfare Association. No one can withdraw the principal amount from the waqf account, but the annual profit will go to the Patients Welfare Association at the end of every year.

The Patients Welfare Association could never imagine that a retired middle-class man would donate such a large sum of money. General secretary of the association, Abhijit Saha, said, "We first thought he was donating Tk 50,000. Later we were amazed to learn this was Tk 50 lakh. He is a shining example for others to follow."

Mohammed Ali retired in 2005 as a sales manager. He is from Farhadabad in Fatikchhari and lives in his family home in Hamzarbagh of Muradpur in Chattogram city. He lives a simple life in a one-storey house with his two sons and the rest of the family. His two sons run businesses. They do not have huge earnings, but the family lives comfortably enough. Mohammad Ali's brothers live there too.

Mohammad Ali's daughters-in-law Tirbij Akhter and Nasrin Akhter are happy with their father-in-law's initiative. Nasrin Akhter said, it is wonderful that cancer patients will be able to receive treatment with the money saved by her father-in-law. The other members of the family are happy too.

Kazi Mohammad Ali said, "My happiness in handing over the money is 50 per cent. I will be fully happy when I hear that with this money a child cancer patient has been cured and returns home entirely recovered."

* This report appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir