Skip links

+91 74397 86391 | info@thewefoundation.org.in

Safe Drinking Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (Wash)

Increasing access to safe water and improve sanitation lead to healthier families and communities and strengthen their resilience

Importance of safe water, sanitation and hygiene: 

Right to WASH is an important right and is also necessary for health, nutrition, education and other outcomes for children.

Girls and women are particularly affected by poor WASH, as are people living with disabilities. It is critical in times of stability and crisis both in rural and urban settings.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set an ambitious vision to achieve universal access to “safely managed” water sanitation and hygiene (including hygiene): defining a higher level of service, while prioritizing the poorest and most vulnerable.

Our WASH strategy is aligned with SDG 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030 and achieving the same in the project locations we work and for the communities we work with.

TWF Objectives are aligned with the Government of India’s Objectives:
  • Construction/renovation of toilets in Institutions like Schools, ICDS, community toilets and promote behavior change by undertaking massive Information, Education and communication campaigns to ensure use, sustainability and adequate operation& maintenance (O&M) of toilets.
  • Enable rural households to have access to and use safe & adequate drinking water within premises to the maximum extent possible and focus on saving water through behavior change of urban households.
  • Focus on Fluoride / Arsenic affected habitations.
  • Ensure planning and implementation of Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in all Gram Panchayats/Urban Local Bodies with focus on segregation of waste at source for zero/minimum waste.
TWF Strategies
  • Demand-driven construction of toilets with focus on institution-based water, sanitation & hygiene (CB-WASH) system to ensure accountability and maintenance of the toilets.
  • Strong behavior change mechanism (IPC and grassroots task forces) to maximize the return on investment (time, funds and efforts).
  • Management of waste at source
  • Cleanliness drives at popular places for focused and sustained attention.
  • Technology-based monitoring system for greater effectiveness.
  • Recognition to community-based groups and individuals for driving change in the community.
TWF Focus
  • Access to safe drinking water sanitation and hygiene in rural homes
  • Toilets in homes moving closer to Open Defecation-Free communities
  • Water & Sanitation in Schools and ICDS centers
  • Management of organic and inorganic waste at source, with special focus on reducing the use of plastic and managing the recycling process.
social causes

The We Foundation has been working on social causes since 2011.

KMC

Segregation of organic and inorganic waste at source...

Clean India Campaign

The We Foundation has been working on social causes since 2011. Much before the Swachh Bharat Mission, the We foundation along with Imagindia had embarked upon a cleanliness campaign called “Come, Clean India” involving the community. The campaign was launched in early 2011 and it spread across four metro cities and each city followed an annual plan of 20 Sundays.  The campaign witnessed overwhelming response from volunteers and had commendable community outreach.

The objectives of the campaign include: to clean up India; promote new practicable methods to clean India; promote health through hygiene; and technology solutions to dispose waste; and make people more aware of the need to keep their environment clean.

The campaign ran over 20 Sundays across India. Railway stations, bus stations, government hospitals and tourist spots were cleaned with the help of hundred volunteers at each venue. The garbage collected was later safely disposed of at the designated municipal dump. Ex-servicemen, lawmakers, students, women and girls all came together to support the drive. Following this campaign, Government of India decided to form a special committee to discuss WASH issues. The committee was later formed by the central government.

Segregation of organic and inorganic waste at source

We are now working on this agenda and plan to support Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on segregation of organic and inorganic waste at source. In this context, two waste bins (blue for inorganic and green for organic waste) have been given by the Solid Waste Management Division of KMC to every household both in apartments, standalone buildings and slums. The awareness campaign on proper segregation of waste is ongoing even during the lockdown as it forms part of the essential services.