Punjab

Bharti Foundation has launched the ‘Satya Bharti Abhiyan’ initiative in 2014 to improve sanitation conditions by providing toilets to households and institutions and foster behavioral change among community members. Inspired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s call to the corporate sector in his Independence Day (2014) speech to strengthen the Government’s initiative in this aspect, the Foundation has adopted Ludhiana and Amritsar districts (rural) as its focus area for the improvement of sanitation facilities.

Bharti Foundation partners with various organizations, including Sulabh International, Sintex and Affordable Housing Technical Assistance Centre (AFHTAC) for the construction of toilets, which is followed by Beneficiary identification done by involving Gram Panchayat representatives for inviting applications from households. Once beneficiary selection is done and approved, the Foundation gets into constructing the IHHLs in the selected households. Representatives from Bharti Foundation then educate and sensitize the beneficiaries on the usage and proper maintenance of the IHHLs.The Foundation ensures robust documentation in order to maintain accountability and transparency of the process. A third party survey has been planned by the Foundation at the end of one year of construction of the toilets, in order to monitor the usage of toilets. The program also brings together students from across different Satya Bharti Schools as representatives and ambassadors of cleanliness, health and hygiene, who educate the beneficiaries on the importance of using and maintaining the toilets.