Along with our basic needs, clean drinking water and toilets are equally important human needs. It is proven that poor sanitation and drinking water facilities affect human health. Hence, lot of focus need to be given on improving these facilities for the citizens. Children between 1 year to 14 years of age are vulnerable to 5 out of 10 deadliest diseases due to contamination of water, unhealthy sanitation and poor personal hygiene.
They spend significant amount of time in school and if the school’s drinking water and sanitation facilities are unhygienic and the premise is not clean then it adversely affects children’s health.
Considering these facts, in 2010 P.M. Shah Foundation decided to spread awareness in schools around “School Sanitation & Safe Drinking Water” and its importance in children’s health. The organization decided to conduct a survey in 50 schools in Pune district to find out the condition of drinking water and sanitation there. The result of the survey was not
good. Majority of the schools had these facilities below the expected standards and unacceptable. Therefore, the organization decided to work with these schools and bring out changes in behavioural pattern of students and the changes in school’s approach towards maintaining these facilities at par. Now, P.M. Shah Foundation has a strong experience of working with 50 schools where lots of positive changes have been
brought out after its intervention.