To celebrate MLK day this year we will honor Dr. King’s passion for education and strengthening the community.
We draw a parallel to Dr. King’s philosophy by traveling with campers to flood-prone areas of northwestern Bangladesh. Here we will discover the genius of a new concept: Floating Schools. This cutting-edge solution was innovated by Mohammad Rezwan as a response to the annual destruction of schools brought on by floods during the Monsoon season. He invented a creative solution to a difficult problem — floating classrooms on boats that travel along the shore, picking up students along the way. These boats serve as libraries, computer science classrooms, and standard classrooms. The ingenuity does not stop there, he devised a system to use solar power to energize the Floating Schools so they are able to run electricity and power up computers and lights. Children who were left stranded are now learning again and thriving. This community is being ushered into the future of learning with resilience and fortitude. We will learn from their ingenious solutions in the face of adversity.
Campers will construct their own Floating School complete with classroom and solar-powered lights. They will add details and essential fixtures to the classrooms they create. Join fellow campers in a collaborative project to come together as a camp community.
Fee: $85
Educator: Kiran Zaman
Laura McGowan
Andrew Sargent
Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha is a registered non-profit organization in Bangladesh. It aims to transform the region's 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. They operate a fleet of floating schools, libraries, health clinics, playgrounds and floating training centers with wireless internet access, serving close to 122,000 people in flood-prone areas.
For each child who participates in the program, the Museum will donate a portion of proceeds to Mohammad Rezwan’s nonprofit Shidulai Swanirvar Sangstha.
We strive to make our programs accessible to all. Please give us a call at 203.777.1833 to discuss opportunities for financial aid or sponsor a scholarship.
