Explore the dormitory campus
This was one thing that girls specifically requested: a tall fence with barbed wire. Having experienced sexual harassment while walking to school or staying in a shed nearby, safety was their top priority.
Security fence
Here’s a real example of what Plan supporters make possible: the Queen’s Crystal Palace. No, it’s not in England — it’s what the girls leading The Graduation Project named one of their new dormitories. They also call it “our happy place,” because it’s customized to meet their specific needs. Click on the different areas of the map to explore each element of the dorm’s campus, and learn how the participating girls helped to make their dream a reality.
Running water and a modern plumbing system are key to keeping the girls safe and healthy at the dorm. Without reliable access to clean water, many girls have to walk long distances to collect water, sometimes putting themselves in danger. Water is also especially important when you’re managing your period.
In addition to the water reserves and connection to the local well, girls participating in the project are collaborating with Purdue University to learn about engineering and design their own water purification and recycling system.
Water system
Managing your period in a hot, rural community is difficult, and throwing away used menstrual pads in a trash can will attract bugs. So, the girls living in the dormitory use this incinerator to safely dispose of their period products.
Incinerator
The dormitory building itself offers girls many features they don’t get when living at home with their families. The girls were especially excited about the running water for showers and flush toilets. Many of them also had never had their own room, or a bed they didn’t have to share with siblings. The building also includes a kitchen and dining hall that serves food grown in the campus garden, WiFi and electric lights, which allows girls to study after the sun goes down.
Dormitory building
The girls living in the dormitory are responsible for managing the gardens. They gave input on what should be planted there, and the project supports them with training on how to grow and harvest different crops. The food that’s grown in the gardens is used in the dormitory’s kitchen as part of the girls’ meals.
Gardens
When the girls’ designed their dormitory, safety was their main priority. Having lived without adult supervision or protection, they wanted a matron who would live on campus to support and mentor them. This female chaperone lives in a small separate home next to the dormitory, and she receives special Plan training on topics including safeguarding, health and teaching life skills.
Matron's house
While the girls’ main focus when planning the dormitory was safety, they also said they wanted to live in a beautiful place. So, they chose to plant flowers and fruit trees on the property as well. They were especially excited to choose trees that would bear their favorite fruits.
Fruit trees