This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Staying Afloat

Spanish Translation

Suzanne Zimbler

In Bangladesh, land is disappearing under floodwater. School, library and health-care boats are helping to keep children in school and keep families safe.

When Mohammed Rezwan was growing up in Bangladesh, his school would close each year for months at a time because of seasonal flooding. Unlike many of his friends, Rezwan managed to complete his education. But he never forgot how frustrated he felt when school was canceled. He decided to make it possible for kids in his country to continue their education year-round. "It was always on my mind that I should help my community," he told TFK.

After studying to become an architect, Rezwan returned to the poor village in northwestern Bangladesh where he grew up. He recalls thinking, "If the children cannot go to school, why don't we bring school to them?" Rezwan designed a school boat that could reach students even during a flood.

The floating school was so successful that Rezwan has since built 17 more. Each boat contains a classroom, a library and computers. More than 1,500 students have benefited from the floating-school program. Shapla Khatun, 12, goes to school on one of Rezwan's boats. "Even when my house is surrounded by water," she told TFK, "I can continue my education."

Losing Ground

Floods have long been a fact of life for the people of Bangladesh. Every summer, during the monsoon, heavy rains cause the Asian country's hundreds of rivers to swell and overflow onto the land.

But in recent years, flooding has become more severe. Scientists say climate change is to blame. Rising temperatures are causing glaciers in the Himalayas, the mountains north of Bangladesh (see map), to melt. The melted ice flows into Bangladesh's rivers, adding more water where there is already too much.

Experts say that by 2050, the crowded country could lose one-fifth of its land to floods. As many as 20 million people could be left with nowhere to live.

A Future That Floats

Rezwan is not letting the challenges slow him down. Instead, he is coming up with more solutions. In addition to school boats, he has developed library boats, health-care boats and houseboats. All of them run on solar power. The boats have provided services to at least 90,000 families.

"The people who live in the riverside areas here cannot escape from the floods," Rezwan says. "So I believe that we have to learn to live on water." The name of Rezwan's program means "self-reliance" in the Bangla language. Rezwan hopes that the people of Bangladesh can continue to come up with creative solutions to the challenges their country faces.

People outside of Bangladesh can help too. "If children in the United States reduce their energy consumption," says Rezwan, "it will benefit countries that are suffering because of climate change."

Next: Safe Space for Polar Bears