nspired by the call to the corporate sector by the prime minister, Satya Bharti Abhiyan was launched by telecom major Bharti in August 2014 with an allocation of Rs100 crore to improve sanitation conditions in large geographic areas, by providing access to toilets to all households and fostering behaviour change through information education and communication (IEC). The implementation was done in collaboration with all stakeholders, – the government, the communities, gram panchayats, the beneficiaries and the students of Satya Bharti schools. This comprehensive implementation through well-designed processes complemented the government’s efforts and empowered all stakeholders. Till February 2019, the company had built 18,400 toilets in Ludhiana and over 5,000 in rural Amritsar. The project covered 792 villages in rural Ludhiana, 118 villages in rural Amritsar, and 11 urban local bodies in urban Ludhiana with a total of over 119,000 beneficiaries. Sanitation awareness The funds for the Abhiyan are provided by Bharti group companies and construction of toilets and communication rollouts are deployed by partners. The implementation of Satya Bharti Abhiyan starts with informing the community about the programme and encouraging them to participate. A village meeting is organised to share information about the programme and to invite applications from households requiring a toilet. Announcements are also made at public places to inform the community about the scheme. The field team engages with direct beneficiaries and with community members to increase awareness on the importance of healthy sanitation practices. A well-structured communication campaign comprises of one-on-one interactions with villagers, display of posters, distribution of booklets, and meetings and road marches across the village. Women were encouraged to participate in communication activities and in the monitoring of construction of their own toilets. The construction partners appointed women as “motivators” to carry out one-on-one interactions with beneficiaries and also to check usage.
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Satya Bharti Abhiyan: channelising students’ enthusiasm