As part of Amma’s 72nd birthday, the Ashram has announced the construction of another 6,000 free toilets for families in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
The initiative forms part of our flagship Amala Bharatam Campaign for a clean and beautiful India. It carries a dual focus on public health improvement and environmental preservation in India, including a vision for open-defecation-free villages across India.
Alongside construction, the project provides skill training in masonry to women—a powerful effort toward both rural sanitation and gender equality, as construction is traditionally a trade for men.
Through our Amrita SeRVe (Self-Reliant Villages) programme, we have constructed thousands of toilets in villages across India. This has helped 12 communities achieve ODF (Open Defecation Free) status from the Govt of India.
As well, Amma’s commitment to sanitation has extended to India’s Namami Gange – Clean the Ganges Project. In 2015, she donated ₹100 crore ($15 million) with the funds focused on construction of toilets in the poorest villages along the river’s banks.
In 2018, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and the UN Secretary-General, Mr António Guterres, presented Amma with an award to honour her contribution.
