Global charity, Go Dharmic, answers ‘the call of nature’ of hundreds of school children across Assam’s villages through an ambitious campaign propagating cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation. In collaboration with Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, India (ONGC), Go Dharmic, has built 10 new toilets, which have been officially opened in government schools, as part of the former’s CSR initiative towards addressing the health care concerns of people in the Northeast.
10 schools, which lacked hygienic sanitation facilities, have now built-in modular toilets- which now provide an effective end-to-end sanitation solution and are expected to benefit the local population in and around the area. There are separate toilet facilities for boys and girls, including 5 for girls and 5 for boys. Providing separate facilities for boys and girls is proven to have a significant impact on attendance and education outcomes for both genders, albeit in different ways.
This project has not only given health and hygiene, but has also given dignity to hundreds of residents in the village. The impact is significant to the school and students who receive its benefits. Over the last two years, we have undertaken a very determined campaign to build toilets, as well as, build awareness among people on ‘safe’ sanitation. People are using the toilets being built, which is why we are confident of meeting our campaign’s objective to ensure that the awareness and enthusiasm generated does not peter out over a period of time. The need of the hour is to ensure that the momentum is sustained!”
– Hemal Randerwala, Founder & Chairman of Go Dharmic
The project was brought on by the understanding that better school sanitation infrastructure has the power to positively impact gender equality. This is especially true in the education of girls- as it helps to lower diseases through better hygiene, and encourage environmental sustainability (through better waste management). It also reduces hunger, as it encourages children to eat regular meals and drink water, throughout the day, whereby they would not if they could not be assured access to latrines or otherwise. In interaction with the students, themselves, it was discovered that the majority of 6th and 10th grade girls dropped out of school due to the lack of toilet facilities on site. Young girls in the village, told the Go Dharmic team, that they are impressed with the new facilities because they no longer have to relieve themselves in the nearby forests, where as young women, they feared assault.
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