Welcome to the ICICI Bank WaterAid site
By choosing to support the ICICI Group campaign, you are helping WaterAid Canada change lives in some of India's poorest and most marginalized communities.
The partnership between the ICICI Group and WaterAid Canada directly supports Project Boond, which aims to improve the quality of life in marginalized communities in the Gaya and Madhubani districts of Bihar, India through increased access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). In the Madhubani district of Bihar, poor sanitation infrastructure means that the annual flooding during monsoon seasons contaminates their water sources with fecal matter, making the water very unsafe to drink. In the district of Gaya, severe droughts mean people rely on groundwater that is contaminated with dangerously high levels of fluoride that causes the devastating disease of Fluorosis.
With your help we will be able to expand access to community-owned, sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, and promote the adoption of better hygiene practices in schools, at home, in health centers, and in public places in both Gaya and Madhubani.
A group of students demonstrate their handwashing song to WaterAid visitors in Bihar. Hygiene education and behaviour change are crucial parts of ensuring sustainable WASH development.
Ways to Give
There are so many ways you can support WaterAid Canada. See the list below to learn more.
- You can provide WaterAid Canada ongoing support through ICICI Group's Employee Monthly Giving Program.
- You can choose to provide support on your own timeline by giving once through ICICI'S Group's Giving Portal.
- Why not get creative and start your own fundraiser to get your friends and family involved! Get Inspired Here
- Looking to get a gift for a very special person in your life? Be sure to check out WaterAid Canada's Gifts of Water.
Your support will help children in the village of Churaman Nagar, Gaya, whose only source of water close to home is contaminated with dangerously high levels of fluoride.
Together we can make a lasting difference
Project Boond will focus on working with community members, local partner organizations, and government officials to:
- Ensure sustainable community-managed WASH services through a consistent piped water supply, develop water quality monitoring, and introduce measures towards sustaining services by establishing entrepreneurial models of services and supplies.
- Strengthen the knowledge and skills of key stakeholders to provide and manage safe, inclusive, and gender-sensitive WASH facilities.
- Implement WASH behaviour change models that will be used at the institutional level to promote healthy WASH practices, such as handwashing with soap, and safe disposal of child feces.
- Create activities like the training of local students, artists, and leaders in hygiene promotion techniques in order to increase knowledge of good hygiene practices.
Shoba Devi, 35, lives in a small rural corner of Gaya. Shoba is her family's water-carrier, and like most villagers, uses the water from the water tap outside her home, as it affords her the time that she would usually spend collecting water. The water tap is the community's source of water for drinking, washing, cooking, and bathing. Unfortunately, the water is heavily contaminated with fluoride, making these families extremely ill after prolonged consumption.
Campaign Tools, Resources and Downloads
- Download pictures to share with your own social networks - Click to view pictures
- Social Media Toolkit - Download Now
Water is a human right and everyone, everywhere deserves to have this basic human right met.
Thirteen children under the age of 5 die every hour in India due to diarrhea and other water-borne illnesses.
Thirteen children under the age of 5 die every hour in India due to diarrhea and other water-borne illnesses.
When communities do not have access to a safe water source or proper sanitation services, their water sources become quickly contaminated, causing devastating illnesses.
Approximately 600 million Indians face extreme water stress.
Approximately 600 million Indians face extreme water stress.
As weather patterns become more severe and unpredictable, flooding and droughts can quickly exacerbate issues in already water-stressed communities.
The groundwater in 1/3 of India’s 600 districts is unsafe to drink due to high levels of chemical contamination.
The groundwater in 1/3 of India’s 600 districts is unsafe to drink due to high levels of chemical contamination.
Drinking chemically contaminated water can have devastating health impacts. Over consumption of fluoride can lead to Flurosis, and ingested arsenic causes Arsenicosis.
