# Swiss woman builds school and empowers community on remote Bengal island 2026-08-10T04:57:55+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Swiss national Sandra Gojkovic spent 15 years working on Sagar Island, a remote and cyclone-prone part of West Bengal. Initially arriving as a traveller, she was struck by the lack of basic services and founded a primary school after finding government teachers often absent. She later launched the Women and Children Protection Movement, which has trained 112 youth leaders and reached roughly 20,000 people across 30 villages, offering vocational training and awareness campaigns against trafficking and child marriage. Gojkovic contracted malaria early in her stay and was forced to leave for treatment, but returned the next day. She deliberately kept project management with her local team to avoid dependency. 'I always remind myself that I'm a guest in India,' she said, stressing that she listens and observes before suggesting changes. The school's board exam pass rate rose from 50 per cent to 100 per cent under the initiative. ## Coverage - businesstoday.in Tags: community development, education, Sagar Island, Swiss volunteer, West Bengal, women empowerment Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/swiss-woman-builds-school-and-empowers-community-on-remote-bengal-island/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/swiss-woman-builds-school-and-empowers-community-on-remote-bengal-island/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.