When we first visited the school in the village of Dudhodi around 100km east of the city of Pune it had  187 students (95 boys and 92 girls). Although it had a toilet block it was for all intents and purposes non functional as it had been built at a time when maintenance and cleaning were simply not on the radar.

 

In partnership with the Rotary Club of Chadstone East Malvern in our neighbouring district 9800, we agree to support our new partners in India, the Rotary Club of Poona in a project to build new toilets and start a WASH Education program in the school.

 

As this was the first time we had worked with the Rotary Club of Poona we felt it was important to do a small pilot project with them before taking on a large scale Global Grant. Although the school is very small, the photo you see here shows that it is very well cared for and it is certainly one of the most beautiful small schools we have visited on our trips to India.

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The design allowed for four cubicles for girls and female teachers which about half a toilet more than the school currently needs. This number of toilets allows for an additional 22 girls to enrol before we meet our ideal toilet to student ratio. The design also allows for two cubicles and four urinals for boys and male teachers. The number is appropriate for current student numbers with room for some growth.

This global grant was used to construct toilets in seven schools and a rural community of 35 houses to help reduce the school drop out rate and absentee rate among adolescent girls attending the schools.

 

Another objective was to provide a structured introduction to WASH Education for the children in the seven schools. The rural community would benefit by the increased security offered to their female family members who are currently at risk every time they have to attend the call of nature in the open. Another objective would be to reduce the hazards of open defecation and improve the overall hygiene of the village.

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4374 students were direct beneficiaries of the school component of the project in the first year. over the life of the toilets estimated at 10 to 15 years, some 15,000 to 20,000 children will benefit from this improvement to their schools.

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The total value of this Global Grant project was in excess of A$120,000

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