ISD organizes ‘Service Days’ to achieve SDGs

With the aim of helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International School Dhaka (ISD) organized “Service Days” with the participation of secondary school students of the institution from January 29-31.

During the Service Days, the students designed, collaborated on, and volunteered for various community service projects at different partner organizations of ISD.

Founder and Chairman of PFDA Vocational Training Center (PFDA-VTC) Sajida Rahman Danny and Creative Conservation Alliance Co-founder Shahriar Caesar Rahman helped organize the Service Days events.

In a press release issued by the school, ISD Service Coordinator Sarah Harkin said: “Our mission for the school is to develop empathic leaders who will be committed to a sustainable future. Our students are encouraged to volunteer for local social organizations or develop their own volunteer initiatives to address the SDGs. We are also pleased that our students are interested in helping the local community.”

While some of the community service projects were designed in normal classes, others were taken up by students as part of ISD’s extra-curricular activity program. A total 40 student leaders, who had been regularly volunteering at various social organizations in Dhaka for over 6 months, and 235 other students from grades 6-12 worked on the projects. Moreover, 60 teacher mentors were also present during the Service Days.

At the Abinta Kabir Foundation, the students designed a rooftop green space to serve as an outdoor classroom as well as a walled garden in the foundation’s library. The project was developed with the help of GarbageMan, a social initiative turning waste into vermin compost.

At Solmaid School, where ISD students have been volunteering since 2014, the students painted the walls. At Utsho Bangladesh, a team of Grade 9 students painted murals featuring village scenes of Bangladesh. Mahbooba Mahmood Leena, director of Utsho, was present at the event.

At PFDA-VTC, ISD students renovated a sensory learning space to teach differently-abled students about traffic rules. Additionally, grade 9 students Faiza Farheen and Serena Anis Salam developed a voluntary initiative last year, and they have been volunteering at PFDA-VTC once per week with their teacher Mariig Hamon.

Meanwhile, at Creative Conservation Alliance, the students designed and painted a mural around the captive turtle breeding site to make it more welcoming for children.