Devastating diseases, a lack of clean drinking water and poor health facilities plague many of the countries where AFAP works. Often, these problems can be reduced or eliminated through awareness and health programs.

AFAP began a 3-year project with our partners VORDS (Voluntary Organization of Rural Development Society) to facilitate and support the elimination of child-labour in cottonseed production fields in the target area of Nandyal, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India. AFAP has assisted with the construction of facilities at the Navajeevan School for Deaf, located in Kurnool.

Most of the people living in the village are landless, agricultural laborers whose livelihood depends on daily wages. The waste water and sanitation system was very poor.

As AFAP’s project in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh in India increased the number of children in-take at the Navajeevan School for the Deaf by a further 100 to the current 200 children, the need for increased water and sanitation facilities was addressed.

The school before the project had in fact limited water source and sanitation facilities for teachers and students. India has one of the lowest numbers of toilet facilities in households, the average village has no public facility available. The incidence of disease in young children caused by contaminated ground water is also very high. 

To meet the need to provide safe water to the children and teachers, a new Reverse Osmosis water purification system was installed in the Navajeevan School, which can now process 500ltrs of water very quickly and can guarantee to meet the needs of all the children on a daily basis.

The plan also included a three stage sewerage recycling treatment system for the new amenities block: this system processes the waste from the amenities in such a way that the water can be reused at the end of the treatment for the garden and washing thus ensuring that safe water is not utilized in these activities.