Disaster management for schools in Bangladesh

Annual flooding in Bangladesh causes schools to close for months at a time, interrupting the education of thousands of children. This project will improve infrastructure, safety and access to learning at eight schools.

The need

Bangladesh is prone to floods, cyclones and river erosion, which regularly damages schools and causes them to close. Every year more than 900 schools experience severe damage from extreme weather, while others are used as emergency shelters. Short-term repairs address urgent needs, but long-term risk reduction and resilience improvements are overlooked. 

In the Nageshwari region, annual flooding forces schools to close and 2,600 children are unable to get to school for two to three months. This constant interruption to schooling and struggle to manage disasters effectively means only one quarter of children in the region complete secondary education. High dropout rates among girls mean more than 80% of girls here leave school and marry before turning 18. 

The plan

• Fundraising with Building Futures will improve infrastructure at eight schools across three areas in Nageshwari. Constructing stronger buildings and investing in community training will help these schools cope in emergencies.
• Working with Plan International, this project will:
• Improve infrastructure and disaster management systems at eight schools
• Repair and retrofit classrooms
• Construct gender segregated latrines
• Provide disabled access
• Develop a School Safety Plan to help teachers, school management committees and student councils improve their response to disasters
• Provide disaster response tools and search and rescue items
• Establish emergency evacuation drills
• Campaign and raise awareness to empower girls, championing their leadership skills in emergencies and disaster management
• Hold observation days with communities, schools and education authorities.

This is our 11th project with Plan International. Fundraising started in May 2018 with a target to reach £200,000 in 18 months. With our help, we can reduce the number of days these schools are forced to close when disasters strike. Children will be able to learn and thrive in a safe environment. 

Plan International has hundreds of aid projects underway and in planning stages around the world. Find out more about Plan and Building Futures.