More than 50% of the Indian population has no access to water. Many communities do not have a water supply in their homes. Therefore the women in the village use heavy pots to collect water from wells nearby, waking up early morning for this tedious task, which often goes on for more than an hour.

The women walk almost 4km per day and many suffer from sore necks and backs, especially due to the weight of the pots. The soaring temperatures in summer make the task even more tiresome.

To fight this problem, Habitat for Humanity India distributes water wheels, a cylindrical plastic container that can hold over 45 liters of water, and the handles help people to roll it on the ground without the physical strain that occurs while carrying water pots on head, shoulders or waist.

As any member of the family can use these water wheels with ease, the task of collecting water can be distributed evenly among the men or children of the family.

Habitat for Humanity India distributes water wheels to families to help reduce the physical pain of multiple journeys to fetch water. As of June 30th, 2021, 7121 families have been served through the distribution of water wheels. Help us raise the most we can and improve the quality of life for vulnerable communities across India!

Donations made to Habitat for Humanity India are eligible for Tax Exemption under Section 80G. Habitat for Humanity India has been awarded 1A – the highest rating by CRISIL.

Stories:
Making Head-Loading History-
In the village of Nagewadi situated in Karjat, Maharashtra there has been a constant water shortage problem. The community here does not have a water supply in their homes.

Therefore the women in the village would use heavy pots to collect water from the wells nearby, waking up early morning for this tedious task, which went on for more than an hour. The women, as a result, suffered from a sore neck and back, especially due to the weight of the pots. The soaring temperatures in the summer made the task even more tiresome.

Today, there has been an immense change in the scenario. Through Habitat for Humanity India’s Water Wheel intervention, the women in Nagewadi are leading a better life.

Nanda Ragho Bhangare (17), a Bachelor of Arts student from Konkan Gyanpeeth College Karjat, was one of the young girls who had to fetch water to meet the needs of her family. After this, she had to rush to college in the town of Karjat.

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She says, “Earlier I would not get much time for my studies. But now because of the water wheel, I get time to study. I enjoy rolling the water wheel and running behind it. The water wheel has made it convenient to carry water. I used to carry water in pots on my head before. My entire body would ache because of this. I don’t have this problem anymore as the water wheel can be rolled easily to our home.”

About OIS:

Orchids International Schools – Social Empowerment through Work Education and Action (SEWA Project with Habitat for Humanity India)

Orchids The International School, always believes in serving the deprived section of the society through its various social services projects for the betterment of the vulnerable people. The aim of these projects to sensitize the children and nurture them to become a socially responsible citizen in future.

This year, under Social Empowerment through Work Education and Action (SEWA) Orchid schools have partnered with leading international charity – Habitat for Humanity India. Habitat India is a non-profit organisation building strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable housing and sanitation facilities. Their vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

OIS is supporting Habitat India initiatives through SEWA: Water Wheels – improving the quality of life for vulnerable communities across India.

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