ABOUT US
About Us – The Asef Syed Foundation
The Asef Syed Foundation (ASF) is a high school–led, youth empowerment movement dedicated to raising awareness and creating meaningful change through youth-driven campaigns. Our first initiative, the Orange Shirt Campaign, focuses on educating Canadians about the tragic legacy of Indian Residential Schools and the ongoing struggles facing Indigenous communities.
Future youth-led campaigns will address urgent issues such as the youth suicide epidemic in Indigenous communities—a crisis that touches nearly every Indigenous family across Canada—as well as anti-drug and anti-alcohol awareness. ASF provides a safe space for youth to gather, learn, and lead, offering opportunities in advocacy, leadership training, and AI skills development to help shape the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
ASF is 100% youth volunteer–run: for the youth, by the youth.
The Foundation was created in loving memory of Asef Syed — a gifted singer, fashion designer, and dreamer with a heart for humanity — who tragically passed away in a motor vehicle accident on the sacred day of Eid al-Adha (Day of Arafah), July 9, 2022. “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return.” (Qur’an 2:156)
Founded by his sister Sabina Syed and mother Kohinur Akhter, the Foundation carries forward the vision Asef and Sabina once shared: to uplift the lives of street children and orphans in Bangladesh while empowering youth in Canada to serve humanity.
With the guiding principle, “We work for free so more kids can eat,” ASF operates with 0% administrative fees, ensuring every penny goes directly to those in need.
Our Mission
The Asef Syed Foundation is a youth-led organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of compassionate and enlightened leaders through meaningful action. We mobilize young people to collaborate to create lasting change through awareness campaigns, providing a platform for collaboration across youth communities, while at the same time fundraising for orphaned children in Bangladesh. At ASF we provide comprehensive youth development programs and tons of resources that enhance academic and personal excellence. We help participants to be confident activists, skilled organizers, and enlightened youth leaders. Through our work, we honor Asef’s memory by turning individual passion into collective impact, proving that young people don’t have to wait until adulthood to change the world.
Our Vision
Zero administrative fees, no salaries for board members, and full transparency in our operations. We are committed to the true Islamic values of zakat, sadaqah, and service to the vulnerable — with every penny going directly to those in need.
Phase 1: Immediate Relief and Spiritual Upliftment
We are currently in Phase 1 of our journey — providing essential support to an orphanage and madrassa in Bogra, Bangladesh, located in the village of Asef Syed’s grandfather.
Here, we have built the Asef Syed Qur’an Reading Room, where children are learning to become hafiz (memorizers of the Qur’an) while receiving food, shelter, and basic necessities.
Additionally, we construct clean water wells in rural areas at an accessible cost of $250 per well, providing life-saving water to families who otherwise have none.
Phase 2: Building the Asef Syed Foundation Centre
In this next phase, we will expand the orphanage by developing the Asef Syed Foundation Centre on land generously donated by Asef’s grandfather.
This Centre will include:
● Expanded housing and facilities for orphans
● Dedicated quarters for abandoned elderly individuals with no family support
Phase 3: Free Health Care Clinic for the Impoverished
In the final phase, we plan to establish a free medical clinic within the Foundation Centre to serve those in extreme poverty. Healthcare is often inaccessible in rural Bangladesh, and our goal is to ensure no one is denied care due to financial hardship.
We aim to collaborate with Doctors Without Borders and other medical volunteers to provide essential services, side by side with our orphan and elderly care programs.
