Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

‘Access to safe water and sanitation’ is fundamental for life, health, dignity, empowerment and prosperity. Water and sanitation is defined as rights of people in various court pronouncements in India and is a basic need of people. Access of people to safe drinking water and sanitation has been thought important to reduce global poverty in Millennium Development Goal 2015. It emphatically attempts to reduce the population without having access to water and sanitation services by half. Despite significant progress made to increase coverage of sanitation and drinking water services in recent past, goal of universal access to safe sanitation and drinking water still remains distant dream for large number of communities in India. Progress of WASH is exceptionally poor in India where large numbers of communities either lack access to WASH services or don’t find sanitation and hygiene compatible of social belief and customs. Hence open defecation remains very common in India and sanitation a major challenge before development practitioners. State of sanitation is particularly gloomy for some of the least urbanized states e.g. Uttar Pradesh

In order to overcome challenges of community Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), MSS is embarking upon ambitious programme of providing safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene to the project areas household in Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts. Project aims to provide capacity building support to community institutions, strengthen and leverage techno-financial support and services from sectors. At the same time, project is geared to generate political demand by inculcating willingness for WASH services among elected representatives. Project encompasses schools as instruments of change and children at the helm of activities to provide local leadership with the goal to ensure sustainable access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene accessible for all.

The aim is to promote and secure poor people’s rights and access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation, support governments and service providers in developing their capacity to deliver safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation, advocate for the essential role of safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation in human development and to develop as an effective global organisation recognised as a leader in our field and for living our values

Purpose and Objectives to work for WASH:

1. Bring WASH on development agenda of households, community and Govt. institutions 
   2. Integration of school and community WASH in village development programme of Block office
   3. Every school to have sustainable WASH services
   4. Replicate and sustain WASH outcomes in project intervention District.
   5. Promote environment sanitation in Block and District

Major Activities of the Programme:

1. Sanitation, water and hand washing unit in model schools
   2. Capacity Building of SMC committee members
   3. Celebrating World Water Day, WTD, GHD with involvement of school children and communities
   4. Training of Teachers on WASH and School Health Programme. 
   5. Training of Masons.
   6. Organize WASH choupals in the villages. 
   7. Capacity building of Adolescent girls group leaders on MHM.
   8. Capacity building of ASHA / ANMs/Anganwadi on MHM. 
   9. Renovation of Hand pumps and water quality testing