another. As electricity has not reached yet in Chalan Beel area  each of these boats are equipped with solar cells and supporting facilities to provide necessary power required to light up the classrooms on the boats for the students participating in the classes after dark. Because of extreme poverty, it is not possible for the local parents to send their sons to school during the day 

Shidhulai uses PV systems and cellular technology in specifically designed boats. The boats have flat-plank floors to allow them to glide through the shallow canals. They are also outfitted with multi-layered waterproof roofs and there are side windows that are opened for ventilation. In fact they use the natural cooling system of environment, as the side windows bring in sufficient air to cool the inner spaces, especially as the boats dock under the shades of large trees. A metal truss takes the weight of the roof, so the interior is not obstructed by pillars, allowing the accommodation to be made spacious and comfortable. These entire features make inner space comfortable for the users and equipment. Photovoltaic (PV) modules generate electricity from sunlight and the boats dock in such a way that its solar modules are faced towards bright sunlight in south and are self-sufficient for a day.  The boats are all built in the region, using locally available materials.

The students can  enjoy the facilities of a Library, attend computer courses and browse through Internet even in the evening in  illuminated boats powered by solar cells. This is indeed a remarkable and encouraging achievement of Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha which should be followed in other flood prawn remote villages of the country where electricity has not reached yet. Time has come when we should be leapfrogging with latest technological advancement to overcome our age old problems instead of adopting traditional methods.

Shidulai is also providing a solar-powered device to the disadvantaged people known as Portable Solar Home System, which produces sufficient light needed by students to perform their studies at night. Using the same light womenfolk of that area are also raising their family income by stitching kathas and other popular materials in the evening ..This small but powerful lighting device has created a sensation among the students of Challan Beel area. Now those students can carry out their studies similar to their counterparts living in major cities and towns. Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha is planning to enlighten  the houses of all disadvantaged families living in the Challan Beel area  by the end of 2010 .

With re-chargeable batteries to store electricity, the boats can provide an independent dc electricity supply system which can be used during both day and night. All boats have PV-powered lighting, using 10W compact fluorescent bulbs/CFL, and mobile phone services from the Grameen, Aktel and Citycell mobile phone networks. The mobile phone connection allows people to make personal phone calls, and also to talk to health experts and get agricultural advice. Most of the batteries are made in Bangladesh. PV modules are imported to Bangladesh and bought from local markets. The Shidhulai solar department installs the solar system on boats. The LEDs used in the Shidhulai’s portable solar home system come from Japan. The portable solar home system (PSHS) is manufactured by both the Shidhulai and local youth in the project areas.

Some 70 per cent of country’s population of 140 million lack regular access to electricity. Shidhulai boats use onboard solar Photovoltaic modules to generate all the electricity needed and supply it to rural villages through portable solar home system (PSHS), which are portable, allowing users to fix the lamps to tables, walls, ceilings, or wherever suits them. The system uses a 4 Ah lead-acid battery to power two or three LED lamps for 30 hours, which is sufficient to last between the weekly visits of the battery-charging boats. The manufacturing cost of Shidhulai’s PSHS is only Tk. 550. Now there’s reduced dependency on kerosene because of portable solar home systems, therefore, CO2 emissions and atmospheric pollution are reduced. The light helps fishermen to spend more time in catching fishes which has increased their income. Jahir Mollah, a fisherman says, ‘‘These lights help us to spend more time in catching fishes which has increased our income. Some of us are using it on their transportation boats to give signals for preventing accidents in night’’. ‘‘We are spending more time on knit and sew during night and it has increased our family income’’, says Momena Begum of Debottar village. ‘‘I use solar light on my boat that produces sufficient light makes easy boarding for passengers. I am getting more passengers and earning more’’, says Abdur Razzak, a boatman.

Introducing the Internet to the boats proved to be a daunting challenge. Initially, the project began using the telephone lines of its riverside project offices to connect to the internet service provider in the city, and then a wireless network to distribute the signals to the boats. But the poor condition of the phone lines and limited coverage of the wireless network compelled Shidhulai to use data-fax enabled mobile systems along with high-gain antennae to transmit signals from the boats. Recently the system has been upgraded with high speed Edge/GPRS cards. These cards are used at PCMCIA or USB ports.

Shidhulai provides this solar lighting service free of cost. They have set up their own portable solar home system manufacturing facility which has helped to cut the cost of battery substantially .Their own facility also ensures timely delivery. The same plant is also delivering PSHS battery chargers.

  The organization also provides computer education facilities in the boats used as libraries. Each such boats contains 2 desktop PCs and 2 notebook PCs with mobile internet facility In such remote places where leading national dailies are not at all available amazingly the present generation of the area are  fortunate to read  those papers. Empowered by the Internet they  regularly browse thenews papers coming out from the capital. It may be mentioned here that 67 per cent of the boat users are women. Like the students of the developed area they are also using Internet to know SSC/HSC results.
This indicates that a knowledgeable and a smart generation is in the offing in the remote villages of Challan Beel area.

This innovative hi-tech aided boat project is the brain-child of Abul Hasnat Md. Rezwan, the founder and executive Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha. An architect from BUET and a local resident studied closely the problems of the disadvantaged people living in his locality. As people living here have no access to electricity and information needed for development they were nowhere in the development track. To overcome these barriers Rezwan launched his fleet of hi-tech aided boats. As most parts of Challan Beel area remains under-water for a significant period of the year his fleet of boats will play an important role in the development of the  concerned area. 

The classes on the boats are conducted for primary students mainly for the girls of class-I to class-III. The courses along with the books and other study materials are supplied free;  The mother of a girl student informed that it is very advantageous for them as the boat comes to their village where the road connection is very poor. They have a Govt. primary school in the village. But she is sending her daughter in this boat school because the teaching standard is much better here, There is a Desktop PC in class-room of the primary classes and every student is taught how to write his/her name on the computer. The students also shown Meena cartoons on the computer using CD.

Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha has developed a device “Bicycle powered pump” for better irrigation to increase crop production in much less investment.

The bicycle-powered pump is designed for small-scale irrigation and is very cheap, so it brings particular benefits to landless farmers who cultivate on the land of others. The pump is cycle-operated, consisting of two pistons of an ordinary twin cylinder pump connected to a crankshaft. It has a flywheel on one end and a chain sprocket on the other end. The crankshaft is powered through a chain sprocket from the pedal of the bicycle, which is rotated by foot of the operator seating on the seat like driving a bicycle. The capacity of this pump is 60-100 liters/min with one laborer at a time with a command area is 0.50 acre/day. The bicycle pumps are manufactured at the local workshops in the rural villages and the manufacturing cost is Tk. 3,000. About 70% of the pumps have been provided to farmers who had not previously been able to afford any irrigation pump. ‘‘Our income has been doubled. We now have a better diet, home improvements and better healthcare’’, says Moinul, a fifty year old farmer. ‘‘We stay in our village through out the year, now we do not need to move into town in search of work outside the growing season’’, he continues. About 43 per cent of the pedal pumps are replacing the use of diesel pumps. Therefore, it is saving thousands of litres of fuel and reducing carbon dioxide emission.

One of the keys to the boat project’s success is the development by Shidhulai of locally developed tutorials, training materials, online presentations, and school books that support education in technology, literacy, human rights, women’s rights, child trafficking, domestic violence, water quality, organic farming, and the benefits of biodiversity. Shidhulai staffs teach adults and children a range of practical topics, such as environmentally friendly agricultural practices, micro-enterprise development, food security, renewable energy and health care. Shidhulai introduced the first river-based environmental curriculum in the country that teaches how to protect the environment, particularly threatened fishes and conserve water. ‘‘Our school book like ‘School-e Jai’ is very easy to read and remember. Ka stands for Kajali fish, Kha for Khargosh, Gha for Ghoyla Hash. The book teaches us not to catch Kajali fish, because soon it will be lost’’ says Abida, a six years old student of Brindabanpur boat school. Shidhulai books well portrays that the Kajali is among threatened fish according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Fishes. The content is tailored to the needs of different audiences- literate and illiterate women, men, and children.

The exciting and innovative projects of Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangsthas has brought the organization a number of international awards namely Ashden Award, UNDP’s Equador Prize 2006, Access to learning Award 2005, etc.

The organization has also set up a computer training complex and Library titled “Shidhulaiplex” in a village of Gurudashpur Upzilla, Natore.

Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha has started a number of innovative and encouraging projects. If they work with dedication to implement this projects successfully, the livelihood of the disadvantaged people of Chalan Beel area will be changed dramatically in near future.