See the impact
There are many ways you can make an impact on the world. But there is no greater impact that you can make than spreading education and empowering people who’ll empower and teach people, who, in turn, will empower and teach more. It's better to lit one candle with education than the curse of the darkness of illiteracy.
Non-Profit Green Initiative
Traditional methods were used in the construction of the school, which was built almost entirely with hand tools. Added to this, most of the materials were waterproofed using a liquid made from boiled local fruit, an ancient Bangladeshi trick for preventing rotting. Our consumer culture has made us go for new things at the expense of materials and methods that could still be further used.
Pre-school Education
Arcadia Education Project is for children aged between 3 and 5 and it can hold a maximum of 20 pupils in each classroom. Every child is provided with breakfast, while Alam subsidises children from the poorest families, so they can afford to buy uniforms and shoes. There is a vegetable patch so the children can grow food to sell and Alam is also developing a playground. When her pupils move on at the age of 6, Alam keeps a close eye on their progress.
Achievements
Arcadia Education Project was one of six winning designs to be selected from 380 nominations. The jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture described the project as “modest and direct”, adding that it “strives to elevate people’s lives, contributes to social and economic development and provides a pathway to solutions for the global issues of rising water levels and access to education in rural communities”.
Impact
Measuring social impact also means accounting for other factors that might have influenced the element you’re trying to measure to what extent can the change be attributed to the activities of your nonprofit.
Programs and Activities
Maleka Welfare Trust, a private social welfare organization, purchased a patch of land to relocate one of their preschools and develop additional social facilities, such as a hostel for single women, a nursery and a vocational training center.
An Architectural Marvel
The modular structure of Arcadia Education Project is situated at a riverine site that is often flooded for five months every year. Rather than disrupting the ecosystem to create a mound for building, the architect devised the solution of an amphibious structure that could sit on the ground or float on the water, depending on seasonal conditions.