Water.org
Project Title- Holistic Village Development: Inclusion of Microfinance in Watson Interventions
Project location- 40 Villages of Maneswar Block of Sambalpur District (Orissa)
Lack of adequate safe water and sanitation is a pressing challenge. Sanitation-related diseases take a heavy toll of lives, especially children's lives, and are a drain on productivity and incomes. Lack of these common amenities also forces households into the continued indignity of open defecation, which is an acute problem especially for women and young girls. Improving access to these is therefore appropriately included in our strategy to alleviate poverty, malnutrition, hunger and drudgery of our womenfolk. Safe water and sanitation prevents waste from coming into contact with humans. This is linked to reduced burden of disease and illness-related expenditure, improved water quality and a cleaner environment, ultimately resulting in a better quality of life which is our ultimate anticipated outcome.
The project supported by Water.Org is under implementation in 40 villages. Maneswar, being a strategic location both in terms of geographical distance and very low coverage of water and sanitation facilities, is our project location for this particular intervention. This particular cluster was identified keeping in view the diverse socio economic status available within the area and its strategic location being closer to BISWA’s Headquarters in India. The proposed area for intervention covers 40 villages in Maneswar Block of Sambalpur District in Western Orissa. The 40 identified villages in Maneswar Block have to be covered under sanitation and household water supply schemes by 2011. The population is mainly agrarian, poor people living below poverty line. The proposed project targets both Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families who have no access to household Water Connections and Toilets.