Shobana is a 17-year-old girl studying in grade 12 at Prof. Annusamy Hr. Sec. School in Pondichery. She belongs to an economically disadvantaged family where both her parents earn their livelihood as agricultural labourers. She is a highly motivated girl who takes keen interest in her studies as well as extra-curricular activities. She holds her teachers and school in high respect and thanks them for their support and encouragement. Her only lament is with respect to the deteriorated and dilapidated condition of the sanitary facilities at her school. She complains about the damaged flooring inside the washrooms, scarcity of water and absence of doors in the toilets due to which Shobana and her friends suffer and abstain from attending school during their periods.

Taking serious note of the poor sanitary condition, Rotary with support from Aircel undertook the school’s infrastructure development through their umbrella project “Support My School”. Following the intervention, the damaged floors were repaired, a water tank was setup to overcome the problem of water scarcity and new doors were installed in all the toilets. The teachers and students are conducting regular awareness sessions to sensitise the students on the importance of clean and safe hygienic practices as well as maintaining the newly built sanitary units. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials have been provided by Rotary to keep the children updated on WASH practices.

Now Shobana and her friends are more than happy to attend school and are now able to concentrate and give more time to their studies. She extends her heartfelt gratitude towards “Support My School” project which was made possible due to Aircel’s CSR interventions facilitated by OneStage.