Project Pakhi brings education to children in Assam by using boats as floating libraries during seasonal floods. Seasonal flooding along the Brahmaputra River frequently submerges low-lying sandbar islands, known as chars, causing major disruptions to education and the destruction of academic materials. To combat this issue, a coalition of grassroots rural educators, boatmen, and student volunteers initiated Project Pakhi, an informal mobile library and tutorial service operating across the riverine channels of Lower Assam.
The project utilizes
traditional wooden country boats retrofitted with water-resistant trunks, low-cost plastic storage boxes, and collapsible study mats. During high-water periods, these boats dock near temporary relief shelters and high-ground bunds, allowing primary school children to access illustrated vernacular storybooks, basic numeracy workbooks, and stationery.
In addition to distributing educational supplies,
volunteer teachers conduct informal, outdoor tutoring sessions to bridge syllabus gaps while formal school facilities remain inaccessible. By delivering education via water, the initiative aims to maintain student engagement in reading habits and mitigate seasonal school dropout rates across flood-vulnerable river islands.
