In 2004, the Bangladesh organization Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha placed among the finalists for the Stockholm Challenge Award. Two years later, a representative for Shidhulai says the honor has helped to widen a program for delivering Internet-based environmental education to thousands of families living in riverside villages.
"Our mission is to bring the school to the students, so that learning can take place even in areas where communications are poor," says Abul Hasanat Mohammed Rezwan, executive director of Shidhulai. "Participation in Stockholm Challenge helped us highlight the educational needs of our target group and reach out to more districts in Bangladesh."
Shidhulai's innovative boat-based library and mobile Internet program covers some 240 square kilometers of rivers, streams and wetlands in the Nandakuja-Atrai-Boral watershed of northern Bangladesh. Onboard are mobile phones, computers, multimedia projectors and books offering villagers access to expert knowledge about cultivating flood-prone land with minimal environmental impact.
"Using a mobile phone or computer is often beyond the wildest imagination of the people in our target areas. In many cases, this program gives them their first opportunity to learn how to manage pests without poisoning the rivers, and to get access to the latest commodity prices. That can dramatically improve their quality of life and ability to earn a living," says Rezwan.
Solar electric systems and fuel-efficient generators power the electronic devices aboard the boats, as they are normally put to work in areas lacking grid electricity. Some 70 percent of Bangladesh's population of 144 million lacks regular access to electricity.
Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha has staked out ambitious goals for future: Rezwan says the group will educate more than one million people and promote self-reliance in 1,000 villages. Hundreds of rivers are targeted for pesticide pollution reductions of up to 90 percent, with the aim of eliminating fish kills, reducing stream bank erosion and cutting polluted runoff by 50 percent. Agricultural productivity and income to farmers can be raised by as much as 80 percent, according to Rezwan.
Internet connectivity, voice and fax services to the Boat Schools are typically gained through mobile phones. Information on market prices, weather forecasts and other dynamic conditions is sent by SMS. "Our phones give villagers the opportunity to contact other farming groups, and stay in touch for either personal or community purposes," Rezwan says.
In addition to introducing rural farmers to environmental concepts, Shidhulai is helping break down traditional barriers to education for women and girls. Parents in the deeply conservative region are often reluctant to send their daughters to far-away schools, but the boat-based program allows for classroom study close to home, where parents are able to keep an eye on their children. "There is no way we can move forward without empowering our womenfolk," says Rezwan.
