The goal of this project is to improve the sanitation and hygiene facilities for girls in village schools. This will encourage more girl students to attend school and obtain education. Interactions with village elders led to the feeling that there was general discomfort in sending girl children to schools which do not have proper sanitation facilities. It has become a barrier to universal education. For this reason and in alignement with the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (Goal no 2 and 3), Nestlé decided to construct sanitation facilities to help girl students attend school.
By December 2008, 48 toilet facilities for girl students in village schools in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where the project has also been implemented, were constructed. Each year we plan to construct 25 sanitation facilities.
Encouraging girls to undertake education supports the United Nations Millenium Development Goal to empower women. This is especially relevant in the Indian context, where women in many regions play an important role in agriculture.
While undertaking the construction of toilet facilities for girls, Nestlé also aims to create awareness amongst children through posters and educational material about the importance of good hygiene and sanitation.
In the picture above: newly built sanitation (toilet) facilities
