About the Amin Foundation

The Amin Foundation helps families stay safe in and around water, and supports families after a drowning. The Amin family started it in 2022 in memory of Basir Amin, Nasrin Amin and Afrid Haider. Everything on this website is free.

Who we are

Amin Foundation Inc. is a New York not-for-profit corporation. Its filing with the New York State Department of State is dated September 6, 2022, in Queens County. You can look it up yourself in the state's public corporation search (opens in a new tab).

The Amin family founded it. The founder is Faruque Amin, the eldest brother of Basir and Nasrin. You can read our story to learn why the family started this work, and our transparency page explains how the foundation works.

Our mission

In a statement dated September 4, 2022, the family wrote that the foundation's mission is:

“to raise awareness around water safety education and the need for proper training and equipment for emergency response personnel. The organization also strives to provide scholarships for swimming lessons to underserved communities and lend emotional support to families dealing with drowning-related loss.”

Our tagline says it simply: Every life is worth saving.

What we do

The same statement names four pillars. We add a fifth thread, support for families after a loss, because it runs through everything we do.

1. Water safety education. Plain, sourced guides on 13 topics, from water safety at home to lakes, rivers and open water. Interactive tools, printable checklists and free lesson plans for schools, camps and community groups.
2. Swimming lessons. Help to learn to swim at any age and to find free or low-cost lessons through official programs. Scholarships for swim lessons are a goal we are working toward.
3. Creating awareness. Infographics that anyone can print, share or embed, and community toolkits in community water safety.
4. Training and equipment for emergency responders. Clear information about what water rescue takes, and how communities can support the people who respond.
5. Support after a loss. Guides on grief, loss and healing and on siblings, including brothers and sisters who have lost a sibling.

Our programs page explains what is ready today and what we are still working toward.

Why this work matters

No. 1

• Many adults never learned. More than half of U.S. adults (54.7%) say they have never taken a swimming lesson (CDC national survey, 2023 (opens in a new tab)).
• The risk is not shared equally. Among people under 30, Black people drown at 1.5 times the rate of White people (CDC, 1999-2019 data (opens in a new tab)).
• Some communities aren't counted at all. The family's statement says lack of water-safety and swimming education is “rampant in the desi community as well as in other minority communities in the United States.” CDC's national survey gives no separate figure for South Asian Americans, so we write for these families directly in our guide for desi communities.

How we work

• Every fact has a source. We cite official and expert sources such as the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Red Cross, with a link on the page. Our editorial policy explains how we research, check and update.
• Safety advice points to training. We explain what to know and where to get trained. We don't replace a CPR class or a swim instructor. In an emergency, call 911. To help someone in the water, reach or throw, don't go.
• Free and private. No ads, no affiliate links and no third-party trackers. Our kids' games collect nothing. Read our privacy notice.
• For every family. We write in plain English first. We are working on Bengali versions of selected pages, and each one stays marked “under review” until a fluent reviewer checks it.

What you can do today

• Make your family's plan with the free family water-safety plan.
• Find swim lessons for a child or an adult: start with how to find swim lessons.
• Share one resource. Print a checklist from the resource library for your fridge, school or place of worship.
• Help us reach more families. See the ways to get involved, or contact us.