How Community-Driven Education Is Changing Belonia

When Ridvan Academy first opened its doors in 2016, it began as a small, community-supported effort to bring quality education to children in Saltila, Belonia. A decade later, the school has grown to a second campus in Manu Mukh — not because of outside investment, but because of the sustained commitment of local families, volunteer teachers, and community members who believed education could change the trajectory of a child's life.

This kind of grassroots growth reflects something the Baha'i community has long emphasized: that lasting social change happens through the participation of ordinary people acting together, not through solutions imposed from outside. Education, in this view, is one of the most powerful tools a community has to improve its own circumstances.

As Ridvan Academy has grown, we've seen ripple effects beyond the classroom — parents more engaged in their children's learning, older students mentoring younger ones, and a growing sense that education is something the whole community owns and sustains together, not something delivered to it from the outside.

We are grateful for everyone who has been part of this journey, and we look forward to continuing to grow alongside the community that has made Ridvan Academy possible.