The School for Democracy (SFD) is located in a village called Badi Ka Badiya, in the district of Bhilwara, in Rajasthan. It is five kilometers away from the town of Bhim, which is on the Delhi–Mumbai National Highway (NH 8).
The campus is built on a three bigha land with contributions raised from Indian and non-institutional donors. The construction had been based on a collective architectural design using local technology.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure in the campus includes a meeting hall, two training halls, an office, library, residential blocks, kitchen and a dining hall. The facilities are modest and basic. The School provides simple bedding and basic food. There is adequate covered space for classroom activities.
Buildings
Chintan: Meeting Hall
It is the Loktantrashala’s main meeting hall. It is a circular, dome-shaped building whose design ensures that people sit facing each other, embodying the concept of equality. It can accommodate a group of around 300 people.
Daftar: Office complex
It consists of the Accounts and Administrative Office, Computer Room and the Library.
Taleem: Training halls
There are two training halls in the campus. The bigger hall can accommodate up to 100 participants while the second hall is used for trainings for smaller groups.
Rehna: Residence for staff
The Rehna is divided into three dormitory blocks. All SFD staff resides in this building.
Pawna: Faculty block
It is a two-storied dormitory-type building with attached bathroom and toilet facilities. The first floor is used for men and the ground floor is allotted to women.
Dormitories for trainees
Separate dormitory facilities are in place for both men and women. They can accommodate up to 100 participants at a time.
Kitchen
This kitchen is built with remnant material and has been mud plastered inside. The kitchen has a “kothi” (rural refrigeration system) a fast-disappearing rural storage designed and made by women with mud.
Rainwater Harvesting
Rain water harvesting tanks
Scarcity of water remains a major concern in Rajasthan. The underground water, in the region where SFD is situated, is not potable due to high saline, and fluoride levels. To find a sustainable solution, the School for Democracy has constructed 8 underground rain water harvesting tanks. These tanks have an estimated capacity of 5 lakh litres. The rain gutter system collects the runoff water from the rooftops and diverts it into the underground tanks, constructed for storage. The rainwater is used for drinking purpose (after purification), watering plants, construction work, etc
Bawdi – Rainwater harvesting step well
To facilitate recharging of groundwater table, a bawadi – rainwater harvesting step well – has been constructed in the low-end corner of the campus. The SWRC (Social Work Research Centre), Tilonia, has financially supported construction of the Bawadi as part of their rainwater harvesting promotion in rural areas. The Bawadi is built with a capacity of holding 10 lakh litres of rainwater.