During a business trip to India, a chance encounter on a train led to two young men inviting Australian author Mark Balla (otherwise known as The Toilet Warrior) to visit one of the world’s largest slums called Dharavi, where one million people are crammed into around 1.6 sq. km. Every day, tens of millions of children in India, and throughout the developing world, go to school where there is nowhere to go to the toilet. When Mark first learned about this issue just a few years ago, barely a quarter of the schools in India had separate functional toilets for girls. Thanks to Rotary and others, including the Indian Government, the numbers have improved dramatically.

Local support and hands on activities with a proven track record will ensure success and sustainability for the many recipients, especially young girls wishing to complete their education.