BANGLA BARI

BANGLA BARI in numbers:

12 desalinization centers.
25 commercial projects.
700 toilets built.
1200 tube wells installed.
50,000 earth blocks made
1.4 million beneficiaries.

36 tons of CO2 emission reduced.

Water for 1.4 million people:

Due to climate change and sea level rise a large part of southern Bangladesh has become ‘salinized’ and infertile. Thousands of square kilometers became unlivable.

Bangla Bari, along with JICS has built 12 desalinization centers all across southern Bangladesh to provide clean water for more than 1.4 million people. There were many challenges over four years, but now these centers provide clean water to more than a hundred villages. It has rejuvenated the entire area.

Water is truly the key to life.

Sanitation for families in rural Bangladesh.

Our low-cost toilets improve the lives of countless women and children. We also provide financial assistance to acquire toilets.

Sanaullah’s House.

Through careful design, we built Sanaullah’s house in 6 weeks on a limited budget. How did we change a family’s life forever?

*Sanaullah’s home. built by Bangla Bari. Kurigram, Bangladesh.*

A sense of belonging…

Bangla Bari’s goal is not just to build a strong sustainable house. we want to ensure the participation of beneficiaries.

“We don’t design rural houses in our urban offices hundreds of miles away. We do it on-site. The family members are directly involved from the design process to the end of construction. The true participatory approach to architecture gives the family a sense of entitlement. A sense of belonging.”

What is a good house? This is a very subjective question. But in the context of rural Bangladesh, where the housing is extremely low cost, our challenge is to make a strong and yet aesthetically pleasing structure. Sanaullah (the rickshawallah from Kurigram village) says, “If my house can withstand rain, flood, and storm for 10 monsoons, then I know it is a good house. My children will be happy.”