The Mother and Child Care Centre was planned as an experimental unit to demonstrate a culturally and climatically appropriate low-cost solution for accommodating basic health care and educational facilities in rural areas. It was sponsored by the UNICEF Regional Office for South Central Asia and East India, which assisted the West Bengal government after the 1978 flood devastation.
The local community was actively involved in the planning and construction of the centre. Village artisans, using local materials and relying primarily on their traditional building skills, were employed.
The central meeting place consists of a large verandah that protects against sun and rain, yet allows breezes to pass through. The corner storage areas, where educational and medical equipment are kept, are enclosed with half-brick thick walls. Single brick columns with cross bracing in timber protect the kitchen area against high winds.