Give Once. Make a Difference for Generations.
Ongoing Charity funds projects that continue to benefit communities long after your donation is made, a water well that provides clean water for decades, a school that educates hundreds of children, a home that shelters a family for a lifetime.
What Is Ongoing Charity?
Ongoing Charity is a donation that funds something lasting. Unlike a one-off gift that meets an immediate need, a food parcel, a blanket, a medical prescription, Ongoing Charity builds something permanent. A water well. A school. A home. A handpump. These are projects that serve communities not just today, but for years and decades into the future.
The concept is rooted in the Islamic tradition of Sadaqah Jariyah, which translates as “continuous charity.” It is one of the most valued forms of giving in Islam because the benefit, and therefore the spiritual reward, continues for as long as the project serves people. A well that provides clean water for thirty years is thirty years of ongoing benefit from a single act of generosity.
But the principle is not confined to any single tradition. The idea that a single donation can create lasting, compounding impact resonates across cultures and beliefs. When you fund a school, every child who learns there carries your contribution forward. When you build a home, every night a family sleeps safely is a night your generosity made possible.
Ongoing Charity is the most enduring form of giving NRF offers. It is a gift that outlasts the moment it is given.
How It Works
01
Step 1: You Donate
02
Step 2: We Build
03
Step 3: The Benefit Continues
Projects That Last a Lifetime
£2,000
Shallow Water Well
Region: East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)
Impact: Clean water for 500–2,000 people for 20–50 years.
One well. One donation. Decades of clean water.
£20,000
Deep Borehole
Region: East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)
Impact: Clean water for 1,000+ people for 30–50+ years.
£100
Water Handpump
Region: Pakistan
Impact: Clean water for a family or small community for years.
£10,000
Build a School
Region: Pakistan, East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)
Impact: Education for hundreds of children, year after year.
A school is a permanent investment in a community’s future.
£1,500
Build a Home
Region: East Africa, Pakistan, Iraq
Impact: Safe, permanent shelter for a family.
Any amount
Flexible Ongoing Charity
Region: Allocated by need
Impact: Your donation is directed to the most needed lasting project.
General Charity vs Ongoing Charity, What Is the Difference?
| General Charity | Ongoing Charity | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Meets immediate, urgent needs | Funds lasting, permanent projects |
| Examples | Food, medicine, clothing, emergency aid | Water wells, schools, homes, handpumps |
| Duration of impact | Immediate — addresses a current need | Long-term — benefits continue for years or decades |
| Allocation | Flexible — directed to the most pressing need | Project-specific — funds a defined, lasting asset |
| Spiritual reward (Islamic tradition) | Reward at the time of giving | Reward continues for as long as the project benefits people |
| Minimum amount | No minimum | Depends on project (from £100 for a handpump) |
| Dedication | Can be given in memory or honour | Can be given in memory or honour |
"Both forms of giving are valuable and needed. General Charity keeps NRF responsive and agile. Ongoing Charity builds the permanent infrastructure that communities depend on for the long term. Many donors choose to give both. "
A Gift That Continues Beyond a Lifetime.
In the Islamic tradition, there are three things whose reward continues after a person has passed away: knowledge that benefits others, a righteous child who prays for them, and Sadaqah Jariyah — ongoing charity. This teaching has inspired generations of Muslims to invest in lasting projects that serve communities long after the donor is gone.
But the idea of a gift that outlives the giver is not unique to any one faith. Across cultures and traditions, people have always sought to leave something behind that makes the world better — a well, a school, a home. Ongoing Charity is that aspiration made practical.
When you fund a water well through NRF, that well may provide clean water for 20 to 50 years. Every person who drinks from it, every child who stays healthy because of it, every hour a woman no longer spends walking to collect water — all of this flows from your single decision to give.
Give Ongoing Charity in Memory or Honour of Someone You Love
One of the most meaningful ways to remember a loved one who has passed away is to give Ongoing Charity in their name. A water well that bears their name. A school built in their memory. A home dedicated in their honour. The benefit continues, and so does the tribute.
Many donors also give Ongoing Charity to mark a special occasion — a birth, a wedding, an anniversary, a milestone birthday. It is a gift that reflects the significance of the moment by creating something that lasts.
If you wish to dedicate an Ongoing Charity project, you can include a dedication of up to 50 characters. For water wells and boreholes, a plaque bearing the dedication is installed at the project site. For schools and homes, the dedication is recorded in the project report.
One Donation.
Decades of Impact.
Year 1
Year 5
Year 10
Year 20
Year 30 to 50
Frequently Asked Questions
Leave Something Behind That Lasts
A water well that gives clean water for decades. A school that educates generations. A home that shelters a family for a lifetime. Ongoing Charity is not just a donation, it is a legacy. Your legacy.