SHIDHULAI SWANIRVAR SANGSTHA

Operating school-boats since 2002

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Future Floats

One fifth of Bangladesh floods annually during the monsoon season, but extreme floods cover up to two thirds. Our founder Architect Mohammed Rezwan came up with a creative solution ‘floating school’ to this problem. our organisation Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha operates classroom on boat, a school that goes to the student when the student can't go to school.

"UNICEF and other aid organizations are urging innovators to develop more creative solutions — like nonprofit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha has done — to make sure that children get access to the resources they need to thrive".
- HuffPost, 2014

"Shidhulai's boat schools and libraries are a creative response to flooding that scientists largely agree has been
worsened by global warming".
- The Washington Post, 2007

Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha is a registered non-profit organization in Bangladesh. It aims to transform the regions waterways into pathways for education, information and technology - also to deal with climate change induced flooding, to protect the environment and people’s rights, and also to lift people out of poverty.

Our Work

We operates a fleet of floating schools, libraries, health clinics, playgrounds and floating training centres with wireless internet access, serving close to 122,000 people in flood-prone areas.

The Work We Do

We work in four themes: Learning, Sustainable Agriculture, Healthcare and Climate Change.

our initiativeS allow people to access to education and information, develop new skills, grow flood resistant crops, and adapt to the extreme conditions.

Learning

The school-boat first serves as a school bus, making periodic stops to collect children from riverside stops. The boat then docks and class begins.

Sustainable Agriculture

Floating training centers teach women and girls on new skills, sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation, and women rights.

Healthcare

With doctor on board, the floating health clinic moves across the waterways and docking at a riverside village the boat provide

medical checkups.

Climate Change

The farmer's floating farming helps landless farmers to grow vegetables and raise fish and ducks on river, that secure the income, food and employment throughout the year.

"Groups like Shidhulai have helped Bangladesh make dramatic social progress over the last quarter century"
- National Public Radio (npr)

Shidhulai's work received coverage in Forbes, New York Times, Washington Post, The Independent, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and npr.

It was featured on the Euronews, Smithsonian Channel, CNN International, CBC-SRC/ Radio Canada, Al Jazeera, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), and BBC News.

npr, September 12, 2018

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS: TAKING ON WORLD PROBLEMS: 'Floating Schools' Make Sure Kids Get To Class When The Water Rises.

Nila's mother, however, sees a different future for Nila. No one in their family has ever gone to college, yet Khatun insists her daughter is going to be a doctor. And Nila nods her head enthusiastically.

npr story

Forbes, December 19, 2018

ARCHITECTS WORLDWIDE INVENT GROUNDBREAKING WATERBORNE SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE, PART 5

Working with local boat builders, Rezwan designed the schools by altering traditional Bangladeshi wooden boats, using native materials and building methods.

Forbes Story

CNN/GBS, October 01, 2018

DURING FLOODS, FLOATING SCHOOLS BRING THE CLASSROOM TO STUDENTS.

And when water overtakes already struggling roads, much of life is put on hold—including kids’ education. If children can’t travel to the classroom, architect and entrepreneur Mohammed Rezwan thought, why not have it travel to them?

GBS Documentary

HuffPost, 2014

FLOATING SCHOOL PROVES THAT EVEN NATURAL DISASTERS SHOULDN’T DEPRIVE KIDS OF EDUCATION.

To continue making inroads for the world’s most vulnerable citizens, UNICEF and other aid organizations are urging innovators to develop more creative solutions — like nonprofit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha has done — to make sure that children get access to the resources they need to thrive.

HuffPost Story

The New York Times, June 30, 2013

‘FLOATING SCHOOLS’ BRING CLASSROOMS TO STRANDED STUDENTS.

“The school on land is closed in monsoon,” said Eti Khatum, 9, a student on the boat school, with two long ponytails and a gold-colored shawl. “This school floats all year.”

NYT Article

The Washington Post, September 27, 2007

IN FLOOD-PRONE BANGLADESH, A FUTURE THAT FLOATS.

Along the winding river canals that flow around the mud-hut villages, mosques and rice fields here, 230 miles northeast of the capital, the boat schools are so loved that crowds of children cheer upon seeing them dock.

The Post Article