In the MANTRA programme, every household in the village constructs for itself a toilet and bathing room, with a 24-hour piped water supply to both the toilet and bathing room as well as to the kitchen of the house.

Narrative

- Formation of the general body of all adult men and women:

In all villages, a village society was formed, with the elected representatives to the Executive Committee as members, which is registered as a legal body. This involved a series of interactions and discussions with village leaders, groups and the entire village community in all villages. The general body of each village constitutes the Palli Sabha and is the basic unit of the Panchayati Raj system in Orissa. The general body of every village elected a representative committee, with equal number of men and women, headed by the President, Secretary and Treasurer. In 25 of the 29 villages, the legal registration of the village bodies has been completed and in the remaining 4 villages, registration is under process.

During the 3-5 years that Gram Vikas will remain in these villages after completion of the entry point activity of water and sanitation, communities will learn how to deal with conflicts and act as pressure groups against vested interests within their village and outside. Villagers will learn the procedures for maintaining public accounts and for organising the general body meetings and elections.

- Emphasis on personal hygiene:

Gram Vikas staff have and continue to engage with women to impress upon them the importance of personal hygiene. Small, but instructive messages about using some form of soap (or detergent or ash) to clean the hands after using a toilet, bathing regularly and wearing clean clothes are passed on during the regular meetings. Due to the availability of a bathing room, women will find it easier to take care of their personal cleanliness and hygiene. In addition, children are repeatedly guided, in schools, about the importance of hand-washing, keeping their hair clean, keeping nails short and clean etc. Between the mothers and the children, there is often a mutually reinforcing cycle at work, making the good personal hygiene habit an ingrained one.