Building Programme

Having partnered with Panikhali Rural Development Society (PRDS) at the beginning of 2017, our programme steadily grew as we began to work in new communities and start new programmes in each centre. From just over 150 students in one community in 2017, the programme had grown to almost 800 students in three communities by 2019. We realised that to cater to the ever-growing numbers in PRDS’s centres, we would need to expand or completely reconstruct the centres to allow for greater numbers of students. We put plans in place through early 2019 to achieve this goal over the coming years, and we were lucky to get the support of a generous donor who has provided us with incredible backing in our school-building programme.

Panikhali Centre

The first community where we began supporting PRDS was in Panikhali village. The building there was basic and comprised of a single large room with a mud floor, and the building was made from bamboo, fence walls and a straw roof. The building served PRDS well initially, but as time passed and student numbers increased, we knew we needed to construct a new building to accommodate growing student numbers. Construction of the new building began in late 2019 and continued quickly over the following months. The lower level was ready by early 2020, and the upper level began operating by June 2020. The building has five classrooms, a library, a kitchen, a computer room, an office, student toilets and a community meeting room. On average, 300 students will pass through the doors of Panikhali Centre daily.

Alor Disha Centre

In the summer of 2017, we visited the community of Charadakatia located 15km from Panikhali Centre. Local stakeholders requested that PRDS begin an education programme to support the young people in the community. We decided to support PRDS in starting a programme in a building that another NGO had recently vacated. PRDS carried out initial renovations to the building to bring it up to standard. With only two classrooms in the building and increasing student numbers, it was clear that capacity would need to increase. Beginning in 2019, we expanded Alor Disha Centre in different stages by adding extra classrooms. The centre now comprises five classrooms, a tailoring training room, a computer training room, an office, a kitchen, a library and a community meeting room.

Boria Centre

We have been working with PRDS in Boria Village since the summer of 2017. When classes began in Boria, PRDS was very fortunate to have the use of two churches to conduct classes. With the increasing number of students, we put plans together with PRDS to build their own centre to cater for the growing numbers. We assisted PRDS in purchasing a plot of land in the village and constructing a new centre. The building became operational in 2021 and has four classrooms, a tailoring training room, an office, a kitchen, student toilets and a community meeting room.

Skills Training, Empowerment and Medical Centre

As the PRDS programme has grown and the number of students in their centres has increased, areas of additional need were identified by PRDS in their communities. Two areas identified have been providing skills to empower young people and local women and a medical check-up facility for the local community. In the village of Panikhali, we supported PRDS in constructing a new centre to train young people and women to acquire skills to help them generate income and support their families. The building also has a dedicated medical room where nurses and doctors will visit to provide check-ups and consultations to our students and the local community free of charge.