Editor - Long before Prime Minister Modi created awareness about the need to have toilets for all, Shelter Associates Pune started making toilets for the needy. Starting 2006 they made over 4,500 individual toilets in urban slums of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Sangli-Miraj and Kolhapur.

Shelter Associates (SA) is Civil Society Organization, founded by architects, planners, and social workers in 1993 (Pune). Pratima Joshi who is a founding member is the executive director while Lata Shrikhande is the associate executive director. Pratima has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Anna University in Chennai. She also holds a master’s degree in ‘Building design for developing countries’ from Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, London.

They have received various awards for eg The Google Changemaker Award in 2007 and HUDCO award for ‘Best Practices’ in Sanitation, 2015.

Mission of Shelter Associates: Sustainable and Cost-Efficient Urbanization, Data-backed and Holistic Planning, Sanitation: One Home, One Toilet, Housing: Slums to Societies

It costs only Rs 15,000/ to support the making of one toilet.

To know more about Shelter Associates and how you can support improvement of sanitation facilities in India see this PDF file.