I am Nafis Jalil, a working engineer, living in Vancouver, Canada. Shakil is my friend for the last 10 years. I am organizing this fundraising campaign to support his education. Let’s listen to his story below in his own words.

Hi, I am Abdullah All Shakil from Bangladesh, an incoming Ph.D. student (Spring 2023) in Medical Anthropology at the University of Connecticut. I am a first-generation college student, and all my higher education has been made possible through multiple scholarships and grants. I was a Hans Wilsdorf Scholar during my master’s at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Geneva. Since my undergraduate years, I have been working and supporting my parents. I am the primary provider for a family of four - my father, wife, our baby, and myself. Now, I need your support in pursuing my Ph.D. and a commemoration. My Ph.D. research on chronicity, burden, and emancipation (treatment/death) of women in Bangladesh is a tribute to my mother.

February 24, 2020, was an ordinary day for me in Geneva, Switzerland -internship, coming back home, household chores, and cooking. I woke up for work, and as I connected my phone to the internet, the course of my life took a radical turn. Within a blink of a second, I was an orphan. I had lost my mother.

She suffered from chronic muscle pain for 20 years, and the reason for her suffering remained undiagnosed. The family spent all of their savings and some of the assets to fuel her treatment. Any sort of new treatment mattered for Ma. It was a quest to find the meaning behind her pain.

In contrast, for the family, it was an additional cost for the month. The so-called 'middle-class' family values and sentiment could neither give up the quest for diagnosis nor continue bearing the price. When Ma finally moved on from the pain of the quest and the burden, it was not an emancipating event for the family. Instead, the question was repeatedly asked, 'Why do families give away everything they have when it doesn't result in anything? Why does the state not share the burden with the families?'

My mother’s struggle and my family’s unfulfilled resolve fueled my life’s mission - to bring light to those who continue to suffer without support. In my research, I will work with women from the southern part of Bangladesh, carrying the burden of environmental degradation and climate change in all aspects of their lives. Ostracization from society, reproductive crisis from male partners, and systemic discrimination from the state that women face will be at the heart of my exploration. The research will broadly contribute to the climatic and health policy formulation of Bangladesh. Moreover, it will be a tribute to my mother and women in Bangladesh who carry the burden of chronicity, patriarchy, and ill policies.

I need USD 7,944 (CAD 10,642) to pay my tuition and relocate my young family from Bangladesh to the USA. I am married and the father of a beautiful 3 months old. While studying and working as a graduate assistant at UConn, I will be supporting the family. I have a USD 3,444 deficit in tuition fees, and the rest is required for air tickets (for 2) from Dhaka to New York, local transportation, and an initial housing deposit. Without your support, I have to leave behind my partner and a newborn. Your support will help us to grow as a family and pursue a tribute to my mother.