Millions drink arsenic-laced water daily — and it's women and children who carry that burden. I'm painting small works of art to raise money for clean water wells. Every sale goes directly to relief organizations on the ground.
20M+People exposed to arsenic
57%Of tube wells contaminated
$250Cost of one clean water well
100%Of sales donated
Explore
What we're all about
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The Cause
Learn about the arsenic crisis in Bangladesh — the neurological, mental health, and community impact of contaminated water.
Read more →
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Shop Paintings
Browse original hand-made paintings. Every dollar from each sale goes directly to building clean water wells.
Shop now →
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Our Impact
See how much we've raised, how many wells we've funded, and watch the gallery of wells being built.
See impact →
Why This Matters
The Crisis Behind the Canvas
Bangladesh is home to the world's largest mass poisoning — and most people have never heard of it.
The Crisis
The world's largest mass poisoning — still happening now
In the 1970s, millions of shallow tube wells were drilled across Bangladesh to provide "safe" water away from surface contamination. What wasn't known was that many tapped into arsenic-rich aquifers. Today, over 20 million people are exposed to unsafe levels daily.
Chronic exposure causes skin lesions, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Children suffer developmental harm. It is slow, invisible — and entirely preventable with the right filtration.
Simple household filters and clean water wells can eliminate the problem for as little as $250 per family. The barrier isn't technology. It's access.
Photo: Palash Khan / Corbis via Getty — via Undark Magazine
Who Bears the Burden
When water is unsafe, the weight falls on some more than others
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Women
Fetching water is considered women's work in many rural Bangladeshi communities. They walk hours each day, often unaware of the toxicity. Long-term arsenic exposure causes skin lesions and heightened cancer risk — leaving them unable to work or care for their families.
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Children
Children are sent to collect water, missing school in the process. Developmental arsenic exposure affects cognitive development and increases vulnerability to illness. The harm compounds silently across years of drinking what appears to be clean groundwater.
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Rural Communities
In rural Bangladesh, the tube well is often the only water source for miles. With no alternatives and no money for testing, families have no choice. Entire communities face elevated rates of arsenicosis — a slow poisoning with no antidote, only prevention.
Beyond Skin Deep
What arsenic really does to the brain and mind
Most people know arsenic causes skin lesions. What's less understood is the devastating neurological and psychological toll it takes — particularly on children whose brains are still developing. The research is clear: this isn't just a water problem. It's a brain development crisis, a mental health epidemic, and a cycle that perpetuates poverty.
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Neurological Effects
Arsenic is a known neurotoxin that crosses the blood-brain barrier. Chronic exposure damages the peripheral nervous system, impairs cognitive processing speed, and disrupts memory formation. In children, it interferes with critical windows of brain development. Studies confirm significant negative associations between arsenic exposure and full-scale, verbal, and performance IQ scores.
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Mental Health Effects
Research across Bangladesh and China consistently links arsenic-contaminated water to higher rates of depression and anxiety. People suffering from arsenicosis face social rejection, discrimination, and loss of marriage prospects, compounding their psychological burden. Studies show contaminated water drinkers report significantly more depressive symptoms.
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Educational & Social Impact
Children exposed to arsenic score lower on intelligence tests, show slower processing speeds, and demonstrate impaired working memory — directly harming educational outcomes. Research from Bangladesh found arsenic exposure measurably reduced children's educational achievement, limiting employment and earnings for entire generations.
24Studies confirm arsenic causes lower IQ scores in children
↓IQSignificant reductions in full-scale, verbal & performance IQ linked to arsenic in water
+Higher rates of depression confirmed in arsenic-affected communities in Bangladesh & China
↑Working memory improves when children switch to clean water wells — recovery is possible
Sources: PMC/NCBI Systematic Review (Brinkel et al., 2009) · Columbia University/EHP (Wasserman et al., 2004, 2016) · PLOS ONE Systematic Review (2025) · VoxDev/CEPR (Chowdhury et al., 2015)
Original Hand-Made Art
Mini works. Real impact.
Every painting is one of a kind. 100% of the sale price goes directly to building clean water wells in Bangladesh.
Want to commission a piece?
Every painting is one of a kind. If you'd like something custom — a landscape, a portrait, a memory — reach out and we can arrange a commission. All proceeds still go to the fund.
A peek at the process — from blank paper to a piece in your hands.
The Process
From palette to package
01
We paint together
I make these paintings with a small group of artists. We work in various mediums — gouache, acrylic, mixed media — and if you want something specific, we can usually make that happen too!
02
Prepping the panel
We cut sketchbook paper into panel-shaped sizes, since thick watercolor paper is easier to work with. For acrylic pieces, we sometimes paint directly onto canvas instead.
03
An afternoon of painting
We spend afternoons together painting for a cause we care about — and along the way, we do our own research into the arsenic and water toxin crisis in Bangladesh.
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Signed & magnet-backed
Each panel is signed on the back by the artist and fitted with a magnet, so you can hang it up or stick it right on the fridge.
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Carefully packaged
Every piece is packaged with care before it heads out — signed, wrapped, and ready to travel.
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Delivered with a smile
Your painting is delivered right to your home — or if you picked it up at an event, handed to you in person with a smile :)
Where It Goes
Your donation goes straight to the source
Every dollar from a painting sale or donation goes directly toward funding clean water wells in Bangladesh — supporting BASMAH and other credible, on-the-ground water well builders working in the communities that need it most.
Basmah Clean Water
A humanitarian organization with a dedicated clean water program for Bangladesh — one of the credible builders your donation supports directly.
I sell my paintings at local venues — every piece is original and every dollar goes to the cause.
Upcoming
Next Events
Upcoming
West Powelton / Saunders Park Fall Fling
September 19
Advocating for mental health and clean water awareness (arsenic clearing) alongside the community.
Upcoming
South Street Fall Fest
September 26
Selling paintings and sharing the mission with the South Street community.
Upcoming
Tacony Creek Park Music and Arts Festival
October 3
Partnering with TTF to sell paintings and spread the word about the clean water crisis in Bangladesh.
Past Events
Where we've been
The Founder
Meet Nazifa Arna
Founder of Brushstrokes for Bangladesh — turning a love for painting into clean water for families.
Nazifa Arna
Founder
Hi everyone! I'm a student living just outside of Philadelphia, and painting has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. What started as a childhood love for crafts and color slowly grew into a real passion — I'm entirely self-taught, learning new mediums through YouTube, from watercolor to gouache to acrylic.
My family is originally from Bangladesh, and the arsenic water crisis is something I grew up hearing about at home. It's a problem that's been quietly affecting millions of families for decades, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to do something about it — especially knowing how disproportionately it impacts women and children.
Science has always been a big part of who I am too, and that's what drew me to this specific issue. Clean water isn't just a humanitarian need, it's a solvable one, and I wanted to put my art to work for a cause that matters.
That's how Brushstrokes for Bangladesh came to be: small paintings, made with care, with every dollar going toward getting families access to safe water. Thank you so much for being here and supporting this. It means more than you know, and I really hope you love the painting. 🎨
Behind the Brushstrokes
Meet the Team
Artists
The hands behind the paintings.
AN
Artist Name
Contributing Artist
Short blurb about this artist and what they contributed.
AN
Artist Name
Contributing Artist
Short blurb about this artist and what they contributed.
Coordinators
Keeping events and logistics running.
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Coordinator Name
Event Coordinator
Short blurb about this coordinator's role.
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Coordinator Name
Event Coordinator
Short blurb about this coordinator's role.
Partners
Organizations and communities supporting this cause.
TF
Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership
Community Partner
Partnering on events and outreach in the Tacony Creek Park area.
WP
West Powelton
Community Partner
Hosting and supporting neighborhood fundraiser events.
PP
PA Pollinator Project
Community Partner
Partnering on community and environmental programming.
BA
BASMAH
Community Partner
Supporting the mission of Brushstrokes for Bangladesh.
Get Involved
Want to help make paintings?
Whether you love to paint, want to help out at events, or just want to be part of spreading the word about the clean water crisis in Bangladesh, we'd love to have you on the team. No experience necessary — just a willingness to help.
