Improved water and sanitation facilities can lead to a marked improvement in the health of individuals. These benefits can be greatly enhanced by the amalgamation of water, sanitation and healthcare services.

Swasti’s program, Invest for Wellness (i4We), is a response to the multi-layered problems limiting healthy living for the poor. In partnership with HDB Financial Services, we advocated for a preventive-promotive approach. This approach provides affordable and accessible primary healthcare to the residents of Sehore in Madhya Pradesh.

To give you a little glimpse of the number of people our partnership has touched, in a span of three months between August and October, 2019, we reached out to a 1,000 women in 20 (adivasi and other villages) through self-help groups.

Moreover, between April and June, 2020, 915 women and 295 men attended community meetings. What were these meetings about? Topics ranged from general hygiene, menstrual hygiene, sanitation, safe water, health conditions, COVID-19, lifestyle issues and more.

Apart from this, two water tanks were constructed in the villages of Ganjit and Somlajhiri, where families had trouble accessing clean, drinking water. Now, 43 families are getting safe and adequate water.

Last but not the least, let us take the case of Mardanpur. It is a village in Rehti tehsil, located in Sehore district. WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) training sessions were conducted for the teachers and students, but that’s not all. Swasti, supported by HDB Financial Services, has been working to facilitate the provision of drinking water and hand-wash facilities in the primary and middle schools. Also, toilets and kitchens were repaired. Our partnership has resulted in the hundreds of students in Mardanpur's schools accessing safer education and living healthier lives.