Initially Moanoghar was a children’s home to provide residential care and education to the orphans from across the CHT region. Over the years, residential facilities were extended to all disadvantaged children from different ethnic indigenous communities considering the dire need of their education in the hills.
Currently there are 12 residential hostels, known as Bhavans, on the campus. They house more than 700 students whose homes are too far from the school or who hare highly disadvantaged. These hostels are Karuna Bhavan A & B Block, Jnanashree Bhavan, Shanti Bhavan, Dipti Bhavan, Prajna Bhavan, Siddhartha Bhavan, Suhrid Bhavan A & B Block, Moitree Bhavan, Bimal Bangsha Bhavan and Bishakha Bhavan (for girls).
Each hostel has a tutor and an assistant tutor who look after the overall well-being and development of the children by carefully monitoring on a day-to-day basis. In addition there are two Superintendents, one for boys and one for girls.
This school, managed by a separate School Managing Committee (SMC) with participation of people from the community, is located on a small hill top nearby Rangapani village; it has a good reputation for education as well as sports. The land was donated by Moanoghar in order to offer education to children of the larger community and, as it is the only kindergarten school in the locality, there are more and more applicants. Currently about 200 children are enrolled in different classes from playgroup to standard V.
This program has two components: sponsorship and higher education program, which is now known as HELP (Higher Education Loan Program).
Sponsorship is a special program to support the orphaned and most disadvantaged ethnic children at Moanoghar. So long this sponsorship program has created opportunities for education to hundreds of orphaned and disadvantaged children. In general, this program is for the children from primary to secondary levels. Any individual and organisations can contribute to this sponsorship program. To support a child, it cost BDT 3,500 – BDT 4,000 per month, which covers tuition, food, accommodation, education materials and primary health care. Sponsors can keep in touch with the sponsored students. Moanoghar reports to the sponsors regularly on the progress and overall growth of the sponsored children.
Under Higher Education Program (HELP), after SSC (secondary school certificate) Moanoghar supports the meritorious students for further education in universities, medical colleges, polytechnic and nursing institutes in different parts of Bangladesh. This HELP is mainly funded by the alumni and well-wishers from CHT communities. The Moanogharians and the Moanoghar Support Groups (MSG) of Rangamati, Khagrachari, Chittagong and Dhaka Chapters help raise funds for HELP through different fund raising events.
Besides, to contribute to HELP some benevolent persons established endowment funds at Moanoghar in memory of their beloved parents or relatives. The interests accrued from these endowment funds are used for this HELP. These endowment funds are:
• Niroda Bala Memorial Scholarship (2012)
• Karuna Dewan Memorial Scholarship (2015)
• Anurupa-Kiran Chandra Dewan Memorial Scholarship (2015)
• Arabinda-Parul Memorial Scholarship (2015)
• Monika-Rabindra Lal Memorial Scholarship (2016)
• Supravat Memorial Scholarship (2016)
• Chitta Ranjan Memorial Scholarship (2016)
• Amalendu Bikash Memorial Scholarship (2017)
• Avala Memorial Scholarship (2018).
• SS Chakma-Priti Chakma Scholarship (2019)
• Shanti Dewan Memorial Scholarship (2020)
• Buddhendu Bikash Chakma Memorial Scholarship (2020)
• Dr Bhagadatta Khisa Memorial Scholarship (2020)
• Kumar Nandit Roy Memorial Scholarship (2020)
• Kamala Devi Chakma Memorial Scholarship (2020)
• Girindra Bijoy Dewan-Madhury Dewan Memorial Scholarships (2021)
• Pingala-Bimalashwa Dewan Memorial Scholarship (2021)
The students of Moanoghar as well as poor but meritorious indigenous students from CHT region can apply for an education loan under HELP. Every year Moanoghar invites application from eligible students, usually in the 1st quarter each year. Currently 103 students are getting support from HELP. The success of HELP is very much outstanding.