Project Description

Char dwellers are often among the poorest and most vulnerable populations in Bangladesh. Let us introduce you to 7-year-old Ripon, whose days stretch longer than most grown men’s. In the char community along the river, where the wind smells of silt and the air carries the clang of metal, childhood is forged in labour. At dawn, Ripon steps out of his tattered home into the muddy alleys, heading for the shipyard. For twelve hours, sometimes under the sun, often under the secrecy of night, his small hands cut, carry, and sort metal scraps. Working in the yards with children like him, hidden from inspectors, yet visible to anyone willing to look. 

Play happens among the debris. Cricket with makeshift bats, climbing ship ropes diving into the murky river in the monsoon. Joy exists wedged between exhaustion and survival. Our project reclaims this balance. We’ve centered it around Char Mirerbag Govt. Primary School built especially for children just like Ripon. By implementing a simple and open layout design, we have tried to make sure the design is scalable across every Char location in Keraniganj. 

The space includes a football field made from salvaged metal bars and recycled trash, transforming waste into play. Open-air study zones and craft spaces will let children learn and create under the sky. An interactive staircase will connect the playground to community gathering points. Here, Ripon’s feet will run not to the shipyard, but across grass, chasing balls, reclaiming the childhood stolen by the river’s relentless tide.