High Schools/Cyclone Shelters in the cyclone-prone areas

Every year, Bangladeshi’s have to contend with the monsoons.  Water washes over the land and homes are swept away, crops are destroyed, lives are lost, and people who have little to begin with are left with nothing.  Most of these people don’t leave the area because they have no choice but to stay.  They may not have the money or the means to move but many are farmers and must remain nearby.

In the coastal areas of Bangladesh it makes sense to build schools as solid concrete structures so that they can serve the dual purpose of a storm shelter during cyclones and hurricanes that ravage the southern parts of Bangladesh like Sandwip, Bhola, and Patuakhali.  In 1992 in Sandwip, through donations and fundraising, SHEBI helped build a 4-storied school that doubles as an emergency shelter.  The shelter can withstand annual monsoons and more severe cyclones, thereby providing people with adequate shelter when they are most in need.  The building also serves as a school and allows students a permanent place of study.  These projects are of significant value both in terms of cost effectiveness and their usefulness to the local population. SHEBI places high priority on helping to build these multi-purpose structures in the cyclone prone areas of Bangladesh and would like to commit more efforts to such projects.