Chennai: In a move to make Niligiris an ‘open defecation-free town,’ the Consulate General of Japan has granted Rs 44 lakh to Rural Development Organisation (RDO), an NGO working there to construct sanitation facilities in 12 schools.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, Consulate General of Japan Consul General Kojiro Uchiyama said, “The fund has been sanctioned under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Project (GGP) in the fiscal year 2018. The projects supported by us are designed to meet the diverse needs of the people in the developing countries since 1989. As the RDO has been working in the development sector, after screening their projects we decided to support them for building toilets in Nilgiris.”
The lack of sanitation facilities in the country is one of the major reasons where 23 per cent adolescent girls drop out of schools in the country. As an effort to bring down the number in Nilgiris, RDO has been working since several years.
“With the funds provided by the Consulate General of Japan, around 50, 000 underprivileged children in 12 schools will be benefited in the next five years because of their assistance,” said RDO founder and chairman Nalliah Kuppusamy Perumal.
As part of the project, 117 Indian water closets, 11 multi-purpose western closets and 10 hand washing stands will be constructed.
“This is our second project that is supported by the Consulate General of Japan. The first project was construction of a multi-purpose resource centre for women, children and farmers of Nilgiris. It has to be noted that several people have been given capacity building and skill training programme which has empowered them,” Nalliah said.