HOW WE WORK
HOW WE WORK
SANITATION FIRST
provides basic sanitation to those living in acute poverty as a stepping stone towards better health, safety, social justice and dignity. GMSP has supported Sanitation First’s work in Gujarat. Vankvad village now has 99 family Ecosan toilets with washrooms and a working well, water pump and storage unit. GMSP has also funded Ecosan toilets in a Mumbai school. GMSP supports the associated core costs of all project work.
toilets built
5,000
13,530
tonnes of compost produced
56,000
people using Sanitation First toilets every day
CHALLENGE
Millions in India have no access to a toilet
and are forced to relieve themselves in the open. This creates a massive public health risk and makes communities vulnerable to serious disease from contaminated water. Those who fall ill often have no access to affordable healthcare and must take time off work to get treated. Medicines can be expensive.
The lack of sanitation has a ripple effect on personal safety and education. In order to avoid the shame of defecating in public, women are often forced to step out after dark to ensure a degree of privacy, which leaves them vulnerable to attack. In schools, many toilets are unfit for use. Some schools have no toilets at all. Girls in particular fear unsafe toilets and avoid school when they are menstruating, with many dropping out altogether.
ACTION
Sanitation First provides impoverished communities with safe, clean toilets that convert waste into compost, helping communities look after their health and preserve their dignity.
Sanitation First’s toilet units do not rely on sewer infrastructures and can reach even the most remote and overcrowded communities. The environmentally-friendly toilets are specifically designed for urban and rural areas.
Sanitation First recognises that the provision of toilets is not enough to change age-old traditions and thus invests heavily in training and community support.