Waterways of Hope

On the flowing waters of rivers in Bangladesh, a fleet of boats forms a collective beacon of hope for thousands of children in the country. These boats house classrooms, libraries, clinics,  and playgrounds, providing education to young people in flooded areas.

As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, over one-fifth of Bangladesh floods every monsoon season. In 2024, over 7000 schools closed during floods, leaving over 175,000 primary students without schooling. Amidst limited road and electricity access, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha’s boat schools provide a lifeline. Since 2002, the nonprofit’s fleet has navigated the country’s waterways, making stops to collect children waiting on riverbanks ready to learn.  For the founder, Architect Mohammed Rezwan, the idea was simple - ‘A school that goes to the student when the student can’t go to the school’.

While Bangladesh’s children are especially vulnerable to climate risk, the lack of access to education is a persisting global problem - over 251 million children and youth are still not in school worldwide. In addition to this, rising extreme weather events globally are causing further school closures.

On this World Children's Day, we invite you to pause and reflect on the world children are inheriting. How can we safeguard their right to grow, learn and dream freely in an ever-changing world with rising risks?

This award-winning photograph was shortlisted in the Solutions Category of the COP28 Photography Competition, a collaboration between The Climate Tribe and the Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA). The Climate Tribe has partnered with HIPA to leverage the power of photography to inspire global awareness of sustainability and advance climate action.