Sanitation

Interventions to Improve Hygiene & Health
In Slum Communities

One Home One Toilet

SA has developed an award-winning model to facilitate individual home toilets in slum communities using household data and the support of communities and Urban Local Bodies. This has reduced open defecation and reliance on defunct community toilets while promoting good health, hygiene and safety…..Know More

Menstrual Hygiene

Modern menstrual hygiene products are expensive, non-biodegradable and toxic for women’s health. At our workshops slum- women learn to handle issues related to menstrual health and hygiene. They are encouraged to use eco-friendly products like menstrual cups to address environmental degradation and period poverty….Know More

Solid Waste Management

Unsegregated solid waste from homes ends up in landfills causing catastrophic damage to health and environment. Through demonstrations and discussions, SA creates behavioral change motivating communities to segregate waste. Accurate spatial data helps ULBs in monitoring solid waste collection in slums…..Know More

Problems Of

Urban Sanitation

Lack of accurate slum data prevents ULBs from providing safe sanitation to overcrowded slums. Missing drainage lines, defunct community toilets force slum dwellers to practice open defecation posing grave health and safety concerns for women and the elderly. Mismanagement of solid waste and lack of awareness around personal and menstrual hygiene further aggravates sanitation woes.

Community case stories

Family responsibilities and extreme poverty led Abhiman to take up menial jobs. Tragedy struck as he was left paralyzed in his sleep. Unable to walk, he struggled to use the public toilet for years. SA helped the family build a toilet within the house, suited to Abhiman’s disability. This safe and dignified option is not just convenient but it has also improved his health.

Abhiman Kirthkudane,

Turbhe, Navi Mumbai

Project Downloads

Creating Spatial Data

Mobilizing Communities

Delivering Toilets

Impact Assessment Report

Policy Paper on Sanitation

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Shelter Associates

SA was founded by architects in 1994 with a passion to ensure equitable access to essential services for the urban poor. SA follows a data-driven, multistakeholder approach to designing and implementing community-centric solutions around sanitation and social housing issues. Know More

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   info@shelter-associates.org

    'Kanha', Plot. no. 340, lane no. 18, Mahatma Society, Kothrud, Pune - 411038

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Pramiti Philanthropy Partners

Pramiti has supported us to conduct a citywide social housing research project for Kolhapur city. Later they extended the CSR grant to support the technical team to implement the Bondre Nagar housing project at Kolhapur.

DMI Finance

DMI Has been associated with US since 2018. Initially they supported the facilitation of 150 toilets in Pimpri Chinchwad Muncipal Corporation. Since 2021 they have supported the Bondre Nagar housing project at Kolhapur with both soft and hard support. The CSR heads have visited many of our projects over the years and have been a strong supporter of our initiatives.

Tata Trust

Tata trust has supported our efforts of designing and monitoring the implementation of citywide housing project in Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Municipal Corporation from 2008 to 2015 where almost 1500 tenements were facilitated over 6 sites. Of late they are also supporting the citywide mapping of a few Nagar Panchayats in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Sun Vacuum Formers Private Ltd. and TRW Sun Steering Wheels Pvt. Ltd

Sunvac and Sun Steering have provided support to our OHOT program since 2016. Over the last 8 years we have facilitated over 1500 home toilets with their funding support in Pune and PCMC slum communities.

UNICEF

UNICEF provided invaluable support during the COVID-19 pandemic by funding the development of sanitation-related communication materials and a vaccination project. They also facilitated workshops on mental health for volunteers and stakeholders, ensuring their well-being and resilience during challenging times.

Bank of America and HT Parekh Foundation

Our partnership with Bank of America enabled us to expand our reach to new cities, including Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Panvel, by providing crucial funding for this growth. Similarly, the funding support from HT Parekh Foundation helped us to establish our footprint in Kolhapur.

Chintoo Gudiya Foundation

The foundation of our data practice was established with the support of the Chintu Gudiya Foundation, which played a crucial role in developing our initial technology framework for data collection, visualization, and reporting. The three-stage technology solution began with KoBoToolbox for creating survey forms and capturing data. The data collected was then integrated with GIS and overlaid on Google Maps. Finally, BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tool) was utilized to generate detailed visualizations and reports at both the individual toilet and slum levels.

Google

We leverage Google Earth Pro to map slums with precision. Using satellite base maps from Google Earth, we annotate each house, along with the slum's existing infrastructure and access to essential services such as toilets, running water, and waste disposal for individual households. These detailed maps highlight infrastructure gaps, enabling us to identify developmental needs, plan and implement targeted actions, and effectively showcase progress over time. In addition, we have used Google’s Plus Codes technology to effectively provide unique addresses that are navigable on Google Maps to slum households.

Dasra

We were honored to be selected for the Dasra Giving Circle on Urban Sanitation in India, a program that supports high-impact NGOs by providing funding and advisory assistance in areas such as management, finance, human resources, and program development.

UCAN Founding Member

As a founding member of U-CAN (Urban Collective Action Network), we are committed to fostering collaboration among individuals, communities, policymakers, and state agencies in Tier II and Tier III Indian cities. U-CAN provides a safe platform for open dialogue and problem-solving, aiming to enhance urban governance and create a richer livable urban experience.

Policy Papers

Types of Government Education Presentation in Black and White Illustrative Style - 1

We have published policy papers as follows

  1. Sanitation: Published policy paper comparing the Swachh Bharat Mission’s model with our One Home One Toilet (OHOT) model
  2. Housing: Published housing policy paper focusing on Beneficiary Led Construction vertical of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U)

Digital Addressing

We have successfully delivered Digital addresses using Google’s Plus Code technology to over 100,000 slum households across four cities in Maharashtra. These unique alphanumeric addresses, navigable via Google Maps, enable even the most remote residents to seamlessly access essential services such as postal delivery, emergency assistance, gas cylinders, and other online services.

OHOT Tool Kit

Our free and open source OHOT Toolkit is a collection of tools, information and procedures to help other non-governmental organizations, facilitators, sponsors and local govts can replicate the model in informal settlements. Find the OHOT Tool Kit here - https://shelter-associates.org/media/

1st City Wide Housing Project In Sangli

As consultants for the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) in Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, we introduced innovative approaches to participatory slum surveying, GIS-based spatial data mapping, participatory housing planning, cooperative tenure structures, and a citywide strategy for delivering housing—moving beyond the traditional project-by-project approach. This forward-thinking methodology later influenced government policy under the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), which mandated cities to map their underprivileged communities using GIS and remote sensing technologies.

Collaborative Model For Home Toilets In Slums

Our three-pronged One Home One Toilet (OHOT) model leverages spatial data to pinpoint critical gaps in sanitation services. It collaborates with Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to lay or repair drainage lines and mobilizes communities to adopt improved hygiene and sanitation practices. Toilets are constructed through a joint effort, where we provide the raw materials, and families contribute to the construction costs, fostering ownership and sustainability. We have facilitated the construction of more than 28000 toilets, impacting the health & living conditions of more than 2 lakh individuals.

Data System For Urban Local Bodies

In addition to co-creating data in collaboration with communities and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), we democratized our data by making it publicly accessible. It is uploaded to our data portal on our website for public viewership and linked to the websites of partnering ULBs. Sharing this data in the public domain has enhanced its utility and impact, fostering broader accessibility and informed decision-making. Our analysis has served as a critical foundation for planning, monitoring, tracking, and implementing developmental initiatives.

Beneficiary Led Housing For Slum Redevelopment

We implemented a unique approach to slum redevelopment by involving the community in an inclusive design & development process and innovation based on data. As a result, we have successfully rehabilitated 9000 individuals from vulnerable slums into better living conditions in our three major projects in Pune and Sangli-Miraj. Our ongoing slum redevelopment housing project in Kolhapur is the only slum redevelopment project being implemented under the Beneficiary Led Construction vertical of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna in Maharashtra.

GIS Mapping Of Slums

Recognizing the gap between existing slum data and ground realities, in the late 1990s, we pioneered the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and Google Earth for poverty mapping. By mapping settlement patterns & infrastructure in and around each target slum, we have generated granular spatial data that is further enriched with household-level survey data. To ensure accuracy and legitimacy, the data has also been validated with the Municipalities we partner with. This data is being used to identify the most vulnerable populations and plan targeted interventions.