alleviation
Undergraduate Studio
BRAC University
Alleviation inquires how larger socio-cultural statistics often misrepresent disadvantaged groups and how introduction of new spaces can empower the under-represented.
Jhenaidah Municipality in Bangladesh has a literacy rate higher than the national average, though female literacy, especially among adult women, remains low due to early marriage and education discontinuation.
Public consultations reveal that most married women with incomplete degrees seek empowerment through vocational skills. By attending hands-on training, they hope to gain skills in crafts and other practical areas, contributing to family income and amplifying their household voice.
To support this, a new space was needed to facilitate vocational training. This training would engage all household members, fostering sustained acceptance and support.
The intervention, one of three for infants, adolescent, and adult women, is planned along the city’s receding central riverbank, celebrating women, empowerment, and water as a connecting element for these learning centers.