HEALTH
Samerth Trust
Kutch District, Gujarat
Impoverished people in the deserts of Gujarat do
not have toilets. From teenage girls to the elderly,
they must endure the shame and health risks of
defecating in the open. This practice kills thousands
of small children each year. But you and IDRF are
changing that.
We have provided safety and dignity to these
people. IDRF and our partner Samerth have built
hundreds of toilets in the most impoverished
households in Kutch. These facilities are equipped
with running water and septic pits that purify and
return wastewater to the environment – a critical
consideration in the desert.
Samerth teaches households about hygiene and
cleanliness. When our donors visited the villages,
women said that they feel much safer with a toilet in
the home. Waterborne disease has plummeted, so
everyone can go to work or school more regularly.
More young women are marrying into these families
because they have modern facilities.
IDRF has also made sure your donations go as far as
possible. Each family volunteers some labor to build
the units. Furthermore, at our suggestion, Samerth
secured additional government funding for the
program.
Highlights, FY 2013
391
30%
1,000
toilets
8
2,450
people
decline in disease
women