Health and schooling.
The construction plan for this toilet facility was designed by a woman from Liechtenstein. It turned out perfectly!
The first toilet facility was built at the Tamil Central College in Bandarawela. This school is attended by 2500 children and had 19 toilets. With our new toilet house, which consists of 3 toilets, the children now have a total of 22 toilets at their disposal! The conditions and facilities in Sri Lanka cannot be compared with Liechtenstein – but here is an example for comparison: the school in Ruggell is attended by 225 children and has 39 toilets and 12 urinals.
in Haputale, Haldamulla, Bandarawela, Badulla, Aislebby, Uva Highlands, Maymally Tamil School, Newburg Tamil School
To date, we have been able to build 13 new toilet facilities and renovate four existing ones. We are currently working on another construction project in Galapitikanda – and hope that many more will follow. In addition to the new facilities for girls, urgently needed renovations of the boys’ toilets were also carried out at various schools.
Our sanitary facilities are by no means a standard feature in Sri Lanka. For many female students, they represent a completely new quality of life – especially during menstruation. With this project, we are not only creating physical infrastructure, but also space for dignity, health, and education.
Visit in 2026
To ensure the cleanliness and long-term maintenance of the girls’ toilet facilities, a member of staff was employed to clean and inspect the buildings. Filling this post proved to be a major challenge, as cleaning work in public school toilets in Sri Lanka is not highly regarded in society and very few people are willing to take on this role.
During our visit, we noted that the quality of the cleaning work did not meet the desired standards everywhere. Together with the staff member, we therefore drew up a detailed task plan and conducted on-site training sessions on the proper cleaning and maintenance of the facilities. This generated considerable interest amongst the local community – within a very short time, a large crowd had gathered to watch the unusual training session.
In addition to regular cleaning, the staff member is now also tasked with immediately reporting any damage – such as faulty lighting or problems with the water supply – to the project manager. Furthermore, the facilities are inspected every two months by a member of the foundation’s board to ensure that the high quality and hygiene standards are maintained in the long term.
Clean and fully functional sanitary facilities are a key prerequisite for girls to be able to attend school regularly. That is why their ongoing maintenance remains a central component of our project.
Newburgh School
The heavy rainfall associated with Cyclone Ditwah has caused significant damage at Newburgh School. The access path to the girls’ toilet facilities, which we built, was partially washed away.
The damage has been assessed on site and the necessary repair work is already planned. Access should be restored as soon as possible so that the schoolgirls can continue to use the toilet facilities safely and without any problems.
Such incidents highlight how important it is to regularly inspect and maintain the infrastructure to ensure the long-term usability of the facilities.
