In the quiet village of Haringachi in Daulatpur, Kushtia, Bangladesh, Md. Najibul Islam once lived with constant anxiety. With one daughter and two sons to support, and water for farming often unreliable, Najibul feared that his children’s education and future would be sacrificed. Each season felt uncertain, and each harvest carried the risk of failure.

Everything changed seven years ago when Bright Green Energy Foundation (BGEF), founded and chaired by Dipal C. Barua—the first Zayed Sustainability Prize laureate, installed a leased solar irrigation pump in the village which is operated by Solar Power that can cultivate around 80-100 Bighas of land by replacing 4-5 Diesel run pumps and saving 40% cost of the farmers. Najibul was appointed as the pump operator in 2018 for Haringachhi-05, and this opportunity marked the beginning of a profound transformation. Gradually he became an entrepreneur of running solar irrigation pump and power tiller. Now he is renting power tiller to other farmers and tilling land himself. He is now giving irrigation facility to 100 farmers in the commanding area of the solar irrigation pump. So, he has multiple income sources from irrigation facilities and from utilization of power tillers among the farmers in the village.

For Najibul, the pump was more than a job—it was a lifeline. The steady income allowed him to send both sons to school, keep his daughter in education long enough to arrange a dignified marriage to a school teacher, and provide her with a proper household and gold ornaments for the occasion. When his grandson was born, Najibul could afford medical care, clothing, and toys—things that once felt far beyond reach.

But the pump’s impact stretched well beyond his household. Reliable irrigation through solar energy meant that farmers who once struggled with failing crops during Boro, Aush, and Aman seasons began to harvest consistently. Agricultural productivity improved, and so did community confidence. With his improved financial footing, Najibul invested in two power tillers and started cultivating one bigha of his own land. The additional income streams strengthened his family’s stability and enabled them to plan for the future—something he once thought impossible.

“Before the pump, we worried every season,” Najibul reflects. “Now my children study, my daughter has a home, and we can plan ahead. This pump changed our lives.”

The ripple effect in Haringachi is unmistakable. Neighbours now share agricultural knowledge, farmers coordinate planting schedules around reliable irrigation, and investments in productive tools like tillers are becoming common. What started as one solar irrigation pump has grown into a model of rural transformation—proof that clean energy can drive education, dignity, health, and agricultural resilience.

This success is part of a broader vision championed by Bright Green Energy Foundation (BGEF): harnessing renewable energy to empower rural families, reduce poverty, and create sustainable pathways to prosperity. From one family to an entire community, Najibul’s story shows how clean energy solutions can uplift lives and inspire scalable change across the developing world.