Less than 50 percent of India’s primary schools have safe drinking water and only 10 percent have sanitation facilities. Limited access to adequate facilities decreases school enrollment, contributes to low attendance rates, and causes many children (particularly girls) to drop out or to be withdrawn from school by their parents. Improving school facilities is a priority for helping improve school attendance in India, a country where between seven and eight million children – 60 percent of whom are girls – are out of school.

USAID and its partner, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), are helping India improve its school facilities. By improving school water and sanitation infrastructure, the program provides students with more welcoming and healthier learning environments. The program builds upon the improved conditions by conducting health and hygiene education for children. The lessons build life skills that change student attitudes and behaviors and promote healthier futures.

The program also enhances school-community linkages to extend health and hygiene practices to adults, maintain school facilities, and sustain parental and community support for education – especially for girls.