This is an initiative to build sanitary toilets in rural schools in Nepal. Every big project starts small and continues to expand from there. So is the goal of this project and I hope to be able to garner support from everyone in this initiative. Now that the rescue and relief efforts to help earthquake victims in Nepal are coming towards an end, the country needs to think more about rebuilding infrastructures that impact health, sanitation, education, roads, electricity, etc. These infrastructures play a significant role in rebuilding the nation and the nation's economic growth in the long run.
While infrastructure in general is crucial to the nation as a whole, my research and teaching supports that infrastructure that directly impact human health need a much higher priority. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children worldwide at a rate equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every ten hours. Every year up to 9 million children under five die from preventable diseases such as diarrhea and malaria. The WHO estimated in 2010 that 2.5 billion people worldwide didn't have access to a toilet. According to the World Toilet Organization (yes, you read it right!), here are some toilet facts:
- 1,000 children died per day from diarrheal diseases due to poor sanitation in 2013.
- Far too many girls miss out on education just because of lack of clean and safe toilet.
- 1 billion people (15% of world population) still practice open defecation.
My aim in the short term is to run a pilot project in the Dolakha district of Nepal. I plan to build one toilet at a time in partnership with local schools and avail many more Model Toilets throughout Nepal in the years to come. I am collaborating with my friends to help this project take off. Please consider contributing for a good cause.
Please follow the link to donate: http://www.gofundme.com/urbannepal
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