Women

We believe in gender equality, equal opportunity and education for all.

Birthing Centre in PHCs

Sanitation First recognises the importance of equitable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene during the life cycle of women.

We start by building state of art birthing centres in remote primary health centres with water, sanitation, hygiene facilities that enable better maternal and child health and provide women in vulnerable communities the safety and dignity they require at a crucial time of their lives.

Creating Soap Banks in
all Anganwadis

Sanitation First has created soap banks in all 1507 anganwadis in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu to imbibe children and their caregivers with the knowledge and facility for safe hand hygiene and lower incidence of water borne diseases.

Creating Smart Anganwadis

Sanitation First has partnered with the District Administration of Tiruvallur to create SMART ++ Anganwadis with safe and comfortable facilities, complete with water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, smart televisions, CCTV surveillance, play area and kitchen garden.

School Toilet Blocks as per
WHO/UNICEF Ratio

Sanitation First has built over 230 toilet blocks in government schools with an outlay of INR 30 crores+. These blocks follow the WHO/UNICEF recommended student/toilet ratio.

All high and higher secondary school toilets for girls comes with a seperate napkin change room attached to a manual incinerator for privacy,comfort and safe disposal of menstrual waste.

Trainings On

Adolescent Health & Well Being

Sanitation First has developed the award winning Happy Periods curriculum to train adolescents on adolescence, puberty, menstruation and saying no to drugs.

Personal Hygiene & Valuing Toilets

Children in classes 1-8 are trained in personal hygiene and valuing toilets. So far over 150,000 children have been trained.

Healthcare Professionals & Conducting Outreach Programmes on Adolescent Health & Well Being

Sanitation First works with health care professionals in training them on the Happy Periods curriculum for larger outreach in the communities they

Health Seeking Behaviour for Sanitation Workers &
Vulnerable Women

Sanitation First works with sanitation workers in creating awareness about safety, hygiene and health seeking behaviour.

Women of vulnerable communities are trained in identifying and seeking medical help for menstrual disorders.

Sanitation First has carried out a pioneering study with 8000 vulnerable women on symptoms of menstrual disorders, including endometriosis

Hear about our impact directly from the people we work with

"One evening, while heading to an open field to defecate, a man approached me, and I had to run for my life. Thankfully, my parents and neighbors heard my screams and caught the perpetrator. This incident deeply affected our family and my mother reached out to Sanitation First. Their response was swift—they installed a GroSan toilet in our community. Now, I feel safe and love our new toilet."

Bhavana, Murungapakkam,

"Before Sanitation First stepped in, we faced constant humiliation and danger, unable to use women’s toilets and risking assault when open defecating. Now, with our own dedicated toilet, we finally have a safe space to take care of our needs without fear or shame. We are immensely grateful for recognizing our humanity and providing us with dignity. We confidently say that having access to a proper toilet has transformed our lives."

Suji and Sasika (Transgenders), Kanuvaipet

“After I learnt the right technique and importance of handwashing through the Sanitation First hygiene training, I thought it was important to teach my mentally challenged brother too. Now, he knows and remembers to wash his hands at critical times. Sanitation First has recognized me as a Hygiene I am so happy”

I Mary Jessi, R C Primary School

“We have never taken our safety seriously, but we now use Personal Protective Equipment. I am also empowering my village with the knowledge I gained from this training”.

Arun, Sanitation Worker, Transgender, Tiruvallur

“As a care taker of a physically challenged spouse and bread earner of the family, I get stressed often. I lose my temper and come across as a bad person. But the counselling session helped me learn anger management. I am extremely thankful to Sanitation First for the counselling sessions”.

Chitra, Sanitation Worker, Tiruvallur,

“Previously, women and girls here had to defecate in the open, facing dangers from animals and harassment from people hiding in the bushes, especially under the worse conditions of the rainy season with knee-deep floods. Now, with access to proper toilets, we are free from the fears of open defecation and can feel safe from both human and animal threats. This change has greatly improved our dignity and quality of life.”

Viji, Masimanagar,

“As the sole healthcare provider for about 25,000 people across 35 villages, our facility is crucial for all primary healthcare needs. Previously, we lacked a dedicated ward for newborns and mothers. The establishment of a dedicated Birthing Centre has helped us deliver close to a hundred children in the comfortable and healthy environment, which helped our centre stand first in NQAS in the state."

Dr Kannadasan, Padur PHC,

Help women, girls, people with periods feel body brilliant!

Our menstrual education programmes bring knowledge and confidence

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