Education is one of the fundamental rights for everyone, but millions of girls are denied the right owing to multiple hurdles. One of the barriers for girls is the lack of adequate toilets and sanitation facilities in schools. The issue seems smaller, but it is a major problem in India as this leads to poor health among girls and missed school days. 

Additionally, approximately 23 million girls in India prefer dropping out of school each year due to a lack of appropriate facilities for menstrual hygiene. Only 47% of schools in India have separate restrooms for girls and lack amenities such as soap, running water, and disposal systems for sanitary napkins. 

Girls face difficulty during menstrual cycles and opt to miss school. The lack of adequate hygiene and sanitation infrastructure has a direct impact on education, especially among girls.

In response to this, Hindware Limited, the leading bathware brand in India, launched a program 'Build a Toilet, Build Her Future' in 2020. The company is committed to providing girls with access to adequate hygienic facilities. 

Its CSR initiative, HygieneThatEmpowers, was launched to reduce absenteeism from schools among girls and empower them by building clean toilets in schools across India, especially in rural areas. This will help girls pursue their education and prepare themselves for the future.

The Start

Hindware Limited is known for high-quality products, product creativity, and high customer service. Apart from serving the customers, the company is committed to serving society through various programs. As a part of its CSR drive, the company launched HygieneThatEmpowers in 2020 on World Toilet Day.

The initiative started by constructing 8 toilets in villages around Bahadurgarh, Haryana near the company’s manufacturing unit using its sanitary ware. Hindware believed that toilets in schools are a necessity especially for girls to help them maintain their cleanliness and hygiene. The company has adopted the 8 villages and committed to providing infrastructure and toilet maintenance facilities to the villages.

With this, the company promised to serve society by building more and more toilets in schools across the country to spread hygiene empowerment. Under the CSR initiative, Hindware started the "Build a Toilet, Build Her Future" program. 

The program aims to collaborate with schools and NGOs to build toilets and clean sanitation facilities for schools. The vision was to reduce the dropout and absenteeism rate among girls from schools in rural areas so that they do not miss school.

Efforts

Hindware had launched a 360-degree marketing campaign across different promotional channels. It released a digital film on 19th November 2020 and promoted it through radio, print media, and other channels to spread awareness and encourage people to participate in the noble cause. Apart from this, Hindware had invited entries for sustainable toilet designs over three weeks after the launch of the film from young architects of India. 

The designs were judged based on the ease of installation and maintenance by the panel in Hindware. Under the ‘Build a Toilet, Build Her Future’ program, Hindware has collaborated with Manas Foundation, a Pune-based NGO, along with some local communities.

Hindware is also using social media platforms to spread more awareness about the program it started. It features stories of success whose lives have changed because of the program. Sharing such stories is an effort by the company to raise awareness and encourage greater support from society. 

The tireless efforts of Hindware and the partners associated with the program have turned it into a movement. The goal of bringing girls back to school and ensuring their right to equality and inclusion has been achieved significantly through the supporters and partners.

Impact Created

Until now, Hindware has constructed more than 400 toilets across around 120 schools in Delhi, Roorkee, Haryana, and Telangana. Under the program, Hindware has now started a new dimension, the 'Dare to Dream’ theme this year as it enters the 5th year of the 'Build a Toilet, Build Her Future' program. 

The new theme forces the benefit of safe and accessible sanitation to girls and empowers them to stay in school and pursue their dreams. The program initiated by Hindware has encouraged girls to envision a brighter future and work towards it. It has motivated girls to remain focused on their education and realize their dreams towards a better future.

With this, the girls have broken barriers, and they feel confident in attending school without worrying about cleanliness and sanitation. The program has increased girls' attendance as they can stay in school mainly because of toilets and menstruation hygiene facilities. 

It has also improved the overall health of the girls as they are no longer prone to water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and low immunity that occurred because of the lack of adequate toilets. The program has also improved educational outcomes in the rural areas where toilets are constructed for girls. The program initiated by Hindware has instilled a sense of gender equity in education in the country.

Way Ahead

By the end of 2025, Hindware is committed to building another 100 toilets to empower thousands of girls and ensure they have access to uninterrupted education. In addition, Hindware has a vision of building a stronger India by providing access to education to girls and boys, especially in rural areas. The company also envisions practising equality in education. 

Hindware encourages people to participate in the program.   The company believes adequate sanitation and hygiene are an important part of a school’s infrastructure. So having toilets with proper facilities is a must for each school. Hindware believes empowering girls through accessible education is a step towards building a stronger and better nation. 

It is working effortlessly for this noble cause and promises to work in the future also. It will continue to raise awareness regarding the importance of hygiene and sanitation in schools. Hindware aims to reach more and more schools in rural areas and make sure that girls do not remain absent or drop out of school.