Background
Operation Toilets Australia (OTA) builds toilets and delivers hygiene education programs in schools in developing countries with the special aim of improving the educational opportunities for adolescent girls. Our projects are currently located in India and Ethiopia, and we have also undertaken a pilot project in West Nepal in conjunction with our partner, International Needs Australia (INA), an approved “Cooperating Organisation” as part of The Rotary Foundation Global Grants system.
Operation Toilets Australia was formed following a visit to India by Mark Balla in 2014 where he noted that girls were not prevalent in the school yard and the issue of inadequate provision of toilets in schools came to light. Operation Toilets Australia is an entity under the control of the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central.
 
Project Benefits
The long-term impact of this work in schools is that:
  • Girls stay in school longer.
  • Girls get married later.
  • When married, girls have fewer children, and those children are less likely to die in the first few years of their lives.
  • For each additional year spent in school, a girl’s lifetime earning capacity is expected to increase between 5% and 10%.
               
 
Project Funding
OTA partners with in-country Rotary clubs, Rotary districts and receives financial support from The Rotary Foundation, Rotary clubs and districts, individual Rotarians, schools, businesses, not-for-profit organisations and members of the general public. OTA works through The Rotary Foundation to fund projects via the Matching Grant system that can contribute up to 35% of the total project budget. The total value of OTA projects since 2015 is AUD$1.3 million.
 
Toilet Technology
In India, flushable squat toilets are constructed in toilet blocks connected to city sewer systems or septic tanks. A small number of western-style toilets are also included for children with special needs. In Ethiopia in schools and in local villages the Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine system is used with squat toilets. Schools and villages are required to commit to an ongoing maintenance program to keep the toilets in good condition.
 
Health Education Program  
An important part of an Operation Toilets project is the health education program - Wash in Schools (WinS) program in India, and the Community Led Total Sanitation and Health (CLTS&H) program in Ethiopia.  Local communities are also encouraged to become involved.
 
How to donate
Rotary clubs and districts or individual Rotarians can support OTA by either:
  • Making a donation to an OTA project by bank transfer
  • Making a donation via PayPal using operationtoilets@gmail.com as the PayPal recipient’s name.
  • Sharing the cost of a project with OTA either by:
    • Rotary clubs donating funds to Operation Toilets Australia to be applied to an agreed project that has been organised by Operation Toilets Australia.
    • Rotary clubs donating funds to a Global grant that has been organised by Operation Toilets Australia.
    • Rotary districts making a District Designated Fund donation to a Global Grant that has been organised by Operation Toilets Australia.
  • Becoming an OTA Ambassador
Australian Rotary clubs, individual Rotarians, businesses, and members of the general public can donate to OTA and receive an Australian Tax Office tax deduction by going to rawcs.org.au (Rotary Australia World Community Service) and donate to project No: 21 in the 2014-2015 year.
 
For further information contact:
Tony Stokes – OTA Chair
tonywstokes544@gmail.com
or Andy Shaw – OTA Project Manager
 
Facebook: Operation Toilets