In Flood-Prone India, Duo Builds Bamboo Schools for Kids of Farmers

Dev Pal and Deepak Chaudhary have built a sustainable school for the children of migrant farmers in flood-prone areas.

The migrant farming community from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh usually lives under flyovers or among bushes in makeshift houses. Most of them settle on the banks of the Yamuna River, an area prone to frequent floods.

As a result of the constant displacement, children suffer the most. Their studies are interrupted and they are often forced into child labour.

To solve the problem of access to education, two friends from the community came up with the idea of ​​the Sustainable Bamboo School.

Dev Pal and Deepak Chaudhary, a lawyer and educator by profession, designed the movable schools, which do not need electricity and are well ventilated. When we asked for a school in the area, the National Green Court turned it down because the place is prone to flooding. Electricity also cannot be provided because the settlements are temporary. That’s how the idea for the Bamboo School came about,” says Dave.

Sharda Yamuna Khadar Pathshala School, funded by the Ekta Foundation. It had fewer than five students in the beginning but now has over 250 of them. The duo hopes to set up a computer center as well as train students for the next competitive exams.

Here’s how the Sustainable Bamboo School works:

Edited by Yoshita Rao