On a recent site visit to Shahpura Village in India, our Just a Drop team met Genda Bai, a 35 year old mother of four and her family. Every day Genda Bai and her two teenage daughters walk between three to five hours to the nearest irrigation well to collect water. Collectively Genda Bai and her daughters carry 18 buckets of water. The good news is, they won’t have to do this much longer! This Spring, Just a Drop took the first steps to bring safe running water to Shahpura Village and into the homes of 191 community members like Genda Bai and her family.

Genda Bai, a community member of the Shahpura Village, and her family

Just a Drop is working with our local partner to establish a holistic safe water, sanitation and hygiene solution in the Shahpura Village. The starting point is of course water and the well has already been successfully drilled. This will provide a reliable, safe, sustainable water supply direct to people’s homes and to the local school. The community will also benefit from 10 water distribution stand posts throughout the village to improve accessibility across the village including for the elderly.

To effectively promote hygiene education, model families will be identified to act as examples to the rest of the community on how latrines and bathrooms are to be built and used within the household. To break down barriers and taboos and support women and girls, the community, including men and boys, will also receive menstrual health management training. This focus on hygiene will allow the community to mitigate the spread of diseases, like COVID-19, and therefore forms a critical part of the programme.

In order to improve the school and offer a better educational environment for both pupils and teachers, a safe water drinking point is being built in the school premises to ensure pupils stay hydrated and can perform to their best. The school sanitation blocks are also being refurbished for boys and girls, and a handwashing platform built as handwashing is crucial to maintaining good hygiene.

Thanks to support from our corporate partner, Baltimore Aircoil Company, 191 community members’ lives, young and old, will be transformed over the next year. We will keep you posted on the progress!

Children from Shahpura Village