Media Release
Mangaluru, Mar 21: APD Foundation completed the first successful year of its project, Prathi Manege Souchalaya (PRMS) with the construction of its 10th and 11th free toilets.
The tenth and eleventh toilets were constructed for two beneficiaries residing at Urva Store- Ashoknagar locality in the city. Both the toilets were partly funded by Lions Club Mangaluru- Balmatta.
March 12 marked the first anniversary of the launching of APDF’s project, Prathi Manege Sauchalaya. The project aims to build free toilets for needy households that live below the poverty line. It will improve the quality of life, health and hygiene though Dakshina Kannada was declared open defecation free in 2017. However, a social audit conducted around the same time found about 4,590 households in the districts had no toilets of their own.
Prathi Manege Sauchalaya project was inaugurated last year with the handover of the first toilet built for an elderly lady at Kunjathbail. Subsequently, APDF has been continuously identifying needy beneficiaries and providing toilets for them with the help of donors. “I am delighted that APDF has been able to reach this milestone achievement of completing 11 toilets. We have plans to reach out to more such needy families in the future,” said Abdullah A Rehman, founder and CEO of APD Foundation.
The tenth beneficiary is the family of Chandrakala, a 40-year-old-lady who is struggling to raise her family with a sick husband and two small children. The 11th beneficiary is the family of Asha, a mother of four who works as a domestic help. Both beneficiaries live close to each other in the same locality. The construction of the toilets was undertaken by a professional contractor of APDF. Members of Youth Friends, a neighbourhood youth group provided volunteer service (Shramadan) in the construction work.
Both toilets were handed over to the beneficiaries on March 2 by Lion Jerry Crasta, president of Lions Club Mangaluru- Balmatta in the presence of Manoj Kumar, corporator of the ward, Lion Noel F C Pinto, Swach Bharath coordinator of Lions District 317D, Lion Avil D’Souza, Arjun Rai - Director APD Foundation and team APD members Vanishree, Megan D’Souza and Dhanush Desai.
APD Foundation invites individual and corporate sponsors of free toilet under Prathi Manege Souchalaya (PRMS). To elicit crowd-funding for the project, APD Foundation has installed drop boxes for people to make donations at popular venues like Baker's Treat, Misbah Supermarket, S L Shet Jewellers, Kamath & Co, the Baklava Company, Jerosa Company, La Pino's Pizza, Just Juice and The Boutique (City Centre), Juice Junction, Nilgiris Supermarket (Empire Mall) and Lincoln Cafe.