Access to toilets and potable drinking water are very important requirements for students in any school. However, many schools in rural India lacks these basic amenities and are a major reason for absenteeism.
With the dual objective of promoting good health & hygiene and reducing absenteeism in schools, ITC under its Primary Education Programme's Water, Sanitation & Hygiene intervention or WASH has contributed to the social well-being project by constructing toilets in Government schools and Anganawadi centres. The programme focusses on creating high impact awareness campaigns directed at school children. The aim of WASH is to bring higher levels of ownership and behavioral change at the grassroots level towards health and sanitation.
In addition, State-run schools are made more attractive for children through infrastructure support, comprising mainly of building clean toilets, classrooms, drinking water facility, benches & chairs etc.
ITC's primary education programme is operational in 11 states of India and its Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) interventions have benefitted over 87,000 children in 1,200 schools.