NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (PRWEB)
April 04, 2023
St. John Paul II School in the community of Maram Khullen, located Manipur, India, has a new toilet complex thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
The project is part of the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.” The school provides education to 170 students, ages 4-13, with the support of 10 staff members.
The funding was utilized for construction of the entire complex from the foundation to the ceiling and walls. Funding was also used to tile the floor, paint the entire building, and install the toilets and partition them. Separate areas of the building were provided for both boys and girls.
Father Sebastian Chennoth, who is in charge of the school, said, “The whole school will benefit from the toilet complex. It is especially true for the girls in the higher classes. It was not easy for them prior to the new complex. This was more embarrassing when some were sick or had stomach troubles. A few students even used to run to the neighboring houses for their needs.”
Houdina, a girl in class 7, expressed her gratitude for the new toilet complex. “I am very happy now. I don’t feel embarrassed anymore. I never went during school recess to the toilet, but used to go during class time to avoid the gaze of the boys.”
With more than 1.4 billion people, India’s growing population is putting a severe strain on the country’s natural resources. According to Water.org, 91 million people lack access to safe water, and 746 million people lack access to safely managed household sanitation facilities.
While India has made some progress in the supply of safe water, there remain gross disparities in safe water access across the country. The World Bank estimates that 21 percent of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water with diarrhea alone causing more than 1,600 deaths daily. Access to proper sanitation is extremely poor, particularly in rural areas where only 14 percent of the population has access to a latrine.
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About Salesian Missions USA
Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeople—all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.
Contact:
Laura Perillo
media@salesianmissions.org
908-406-3413 (text messages OK)
Twitter: @MissionNewswire
Newswire: MissionNewswire.org
Press room: SalesianMissions.org/press
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