With the financial assistance from Arghyam, Bangalore, AWASH committees are formed in the 186 slums in Tiruchirappalli City of Tamil Nadu to motivate other community based organizations like Women self-help groups and SHE – Teams to engage in community managed pay and use toilets. Under this program, AWASH committees were formed and strengthened in all the 186 slums where the ODF slums announcement earlier made with the support of Tiruchirappalli City Corporation and WaterAid, UK support. Arghyam support enabled Gramalaya to ensure sustainability of the program and community take-over of the project. AWASH federation formed by Gramalaya and monthly meetings are regularly conducted. Under this project, a total of 833 household toilets and 50 RWH – Rain Water Harvesting structures are installed in the slums. With the support from AWASH committees and SHE teams, 74 community toilets in the slums are maintained under pay and use system. The revenue made out of the pay-and-use toilets are effectively revolved by the community themselves for other water and sanitation promotion works. A city Sanitation Task Force formed with the initiation from Gramalaya is functioning effectively in the City Corporation where the CSOs /CBOs are members in it.

Similarly, with the active support of Arghyam, the women groups’ federation in the rural areas of Thottiyam Block was involved in the water and sanitation promotion works. Under this project, Gramalaya conducted PLF leaders training, PRI training, solid waste management training and RWH training with the support of Arghyam. The federation leaders from the women self-help groups promoted by Gramalaya ensured construction of 7248 household toilets besides construction of 28 Rain Water Harvesting structures. The federation could able to mobilize loan support from the internal savings of the women self-help groups and bank linkages for construction of 7248 toilets in Thottiyam block. It is a prestigious project for Gramalaya with funding collaboration of Arghyam, Bangalore.