Experiencing the Impact: Visiting the Sanitation First India Funded Project
Yas Comez
1 February 2023
One our our trustees, Amrita Sen, and I had the amazing opportunity of being able to visit the first set of projects funded by the EA Foundation that were completed last year and to see them with our own eyes. In a word…WOW!
The projects were carried out by Sanitation First India and the work they’ve completed is incredible. First we set off to Mamallapuram, a small town in the Tamil Nadu state of India, where the foundation funded brand new toilet facilities for a school. We met some of the young girls from the school, where Amrita made a small but mighty speech.
Part of the project we have supported is called ‘Happy Periods’, whereby Sanitation First supply period packs. The period packs are procured from Real Relief. The period packs last for a total of three years and up to 200 uses. Just when you thought this initiative couldn’t get any better – they are now in the midst of creating packs that last up to five years! Alongside the packs, they provide training to both girls and boys regarding menstrual cycles. We had the privilege to give out some of these packs to the girls and see how much they were appreciated.
Next, we visited the new maternity block built in the primary health center of Padur. We met some of the mothers that have safely given birth due to this project, and their healthy babies! We even had the fortune of meeting the first mother to safely give birth to a beautiful baby boy in the ward. Of course, we had a little cuddle too. Prior to the construction of this maternity block, the new mothers would have to share facilities with other patients of the hospital without any separation. They also had to walk down a long corridor to use the closest toilet, which could be a struggle after having just given birth. The new maternity block includes a private toilet facility, as well as three new beds dedicated solely to new mothers, helping improve the care and dignity of their birth experience.
Whilst we were around Mamallapuram, we also visited the tribal community of Masimanagar where over 150 families have no access to toilet facilities. This demonstrated the scale of the need for sanitation facilities in this area that Sanitation First wants to address and we will be continuing the conversation about how we might be able to contribute.
We would like to give a special mention to Priya, Nisha and David from the team of Sanitation First India and The Cycle in the UK. It was an honour to meet people who are so dedicated to helping to improve other people’s lives, one day at a time. We would like to say a special thank you to them for showing us around and allowing us to step into their world for a day, it was a true privilege, and we are completely taken back by how many lives have already been impacted through these projects.
We are excited to explore how we can continue our partnership with The Cycle / Sanitation First India in the future, so stay tuned!
