Making home-based work environments safer, healthier and productive: Improving the Physical Environment (2)

This brief is a part of WIEGO's documentation of Mahila Housing SEWA Trust’s (MHT) work to capture insights on their work that has had wide ranging impacts on the wellbeing and economic productivity of home-based workers. This brief on improving access to water and sanitation facilities is the second thematic brief in the ‘Improving the physical environment’ category.

In India, access to water and sanitation facilities still remain one of the biggest challenges for low-income communities. Women and young girls are most seriously affected as they compromise their safety and dignity each day to avail basic levels of sanitation hygiene. Frequent waterlogging, sewage water mixing with potable water, and inadequate waste management makes it especially difficult for women home- based workers, who spend greater time in their household premises. For the past twenty-five years, Mahila Housing SEWA Trust (MHT) has been working to bridge the sanitation gap by mobilizing communities and empowering them to demand better services from the Government.