In Mirpur and Gulshan, Dhaka, many children hope for a better future but face daily barriers to learning. Families struggle to afford basic materials, and schools often lack proper facilities. Without a child-friendly school environment to support them, students are more likely to drop out or become vulnerable to child labor, early marriage, or unsafe migration.
For students like Sumaiya, school sometimes felt more like a duty than a place to grow.
“We spend most of our day at school, but the classrooms were small, dull, and uncomfortable. Sometimes we did not feel like coming at all,” she said. “We also wanted practical learning, but our school did not have any science lab or computer lab.”
Her story is similar to thousands of children studying in under-resourced schools. They want to learn, but the environment around them makes it harder.
To help change this, Good Neighbors Bangladesh partnered with Samsung C&T to improve four schools through the Samsung Village Project. Their goal was to build learning spaces where children feel safe, supported, and excited to come to school every day.
Islamia High School, Alhaz Abbas Uddin High School, Bauniabandh Ideal High School, and Vatara Good Neighbors School all received major upgrades. Classrooms were brightened with child-friendly visuals. Libraries, science labs, and digital classrooms were improved. Schools gained safe drinking water, clean restrooms, solar lighting, shaded seating areas, and greener surroundings.
Students also received bags, notebooks, umbrellas, and other learning tools. Updated library books, regular health check-ups, and menstrual hygiene support for 586 adolescent girls helped strengthen student health and confidence.
To build leadership and awareness, Child Council Committees and Green Clubs were formed. These groups help children learn about their rights and how to care for their school environment. Teachers also received training on more child-centered ways of teaching, which improved teamwork among teachers, students, and parents.
Now our school is beautiful and organized. We study in the library, do experiments in the science lab, and use the computer lab. The Green Club taught us how to garden, and the Child Council helped us understand our rights. We are more confident and happier.
These efforts made a big difference. School attendance rose from 91 percent to 97 percent, and annual exam pass rates increased from 73.19 percent to 87.35 percent. This reflects something important: when children learn in safe and supportive spaces, they are more likely to stay in school, avoid harmful situations, participate actively, and reach their full potential.
By improving school facilities, strengthening student voices, empowering teachers, and promoting child rights, Good Neighbors Bangladesh is helping build schools where children can learn, explore, and grow with dignity.
See how this transformation happened, watch the short video documentary from Good Neighbors Bangladesh.
Be a good neighbor and help create more child-friendly schools for children like Sumaiya: www.goodneighbors.org/donate
Good Neighbors is an international humanitarian and development organization founded in 1991, working in over 50 countries to make the world a place without hunger and where people live in harmony. Engaging with over 200 communities globally, we empower people and transform communities through social and economic development initiatives. Good Neighbors has General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) since 1996.
For further information, please contact Good Neighbors Global Partnership Center.
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