Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation (SSFM) was established in 2006 to integrate WASH interventions with strategies for education, women’s economic empowerment, and health and nutrition programs. Since 2014, SSMF has played a significant role in facilitating the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a programme for ending open defecation in India. Additionally, SSMF has been actively involved in projects related to the achievement of SDG 6 targets. SSMF is an associate organisation of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, which is one of the largest NGOs in India — and is globally recognised for its pioneering work on human rights based approach to sanitation. SSMF works across India and is headquartered in New Delhi.

SSMF’s approach to sanitation is both rights-based and participatory. It uses sanitation as an entry point into communities to raise awareness about the harmful impacts of open defecation and brings about complete behaviour change by encouraging populations to build and use toilets. Under its comprehensive WASH approach, SSMF also pays particular attention to menstrual health – distribution and training on the use of sanitary napkins, and the promotion of handwashing. This bottom-up community-driven approach has proven to help communities be resilient and vigilant during the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic.

 

Alongside sanitation, the organisation has been developing integrated programmes to achieve women’s economic empowerment as a first step towards building the resiliency of communities. SSMF also works with women to address issues of gender violence by making them the agents of change. These efforts have had positive health outcomes in through enhancing agency and empowerment of women and girls.

Since the outbreak of Covid19, the organisation has been providing awareness, maintenance and sanitation services in COVID hospitals across a number of states across India.

 

Broadly, SSMF focuses on:


• Training and capacity building
• Awareness and motivational campaigns
• Capacity Building of students, teachers and parents through school sanitation clubs
• Skill Development of rural youth
• Expanding the capacities of Aganwadi and Asha workers
• Health education
• Implementation of WASH programs
• Construction of toilets
• Creating women’s Self-Help Groups

SSFM has also worked for holistic village development programs which has enabled a number of villages to achieve the status of “model villages”.

SSMF has permanent registration under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act), Government of India. SSMF was registered in the year 2006 under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. SSMF has also 80(G) Income Tax registration certificate. It has special consultative status with United Nation Economic and Social Council, which was awarded in the year 2017.