This weekend, a group of students and staff from De Montfort University head to Indore in Madya Pradesh, in India, to build washrooms and work with communities to learn about the challenges they face. I can’t deny that I’m a little jealous that I’m not on this trip but I do hold a sense of excitement that this project is actually happening. The students on the trip will be involved in the building of up to four washrooms in schools that have requested help. The work will be done in partnership with pupils from Daly College Indore who asked for DMU’s support having learned about the work of DMU Square Mile through our ongoing education partnership. Both DMU Square Mile and the student committee at Daly College share very similar values around working together with communities to seek solutions to problems. 
The building of washrooms will help to retain an estimated 150 pupils, in particular girls, in education in each of those schools. I have written more on that issue here. There are many authorities reporting that 40 per cent of children drop out of school by the age of 14 because there is no toilet, or no privacy for females. Those girls who carry on attending lose about a week’s worth of education a month as they stay away from their school during their period. So it’s amazing to make a contribution to attempt to tackle this problem in this way. I visited India in August to help prepare this project for the students. I know what a difference it will make because I saw for myself the transformative effect of having a working toilet in a school. I met children who described life before they had access to a washroom and it was difficult to hear. I wrote this article here for the Leicester Mercury: and recorded this piece for BBC Radio Leicester, broadcast on the Tony Wadsworth Show when I came back, both of which had lots feedback giving support to DMU Square Mile for this work. Last week I attempted to relay my experiences of India and the significance of the project to those who are taking this project with #DMUGlobal – DMU’s programme to give students international experience. Until they get there and see for themselves I do not believe they will understand how important the work is that they are doing – and that for me is the magic of #DMUglobal. Being able to add a development project overseas to the DMU Square Mile programme is one of the highlights of the year. I hope all the hardwork and preparations pay off. During my stay in India, I was asked by students at Daly College if DMU would consider adding a research element to the project. We have been able to send Dr Rupert Gammon to Indore on the trip and he will spend time looking at opportunities for harnessing sunlight, rainfall and other potential engineering projects to add to future washroom building projects. The Square Mile team and student volunteers have been working with schools in Leicester to raise awareness of the toilets issue and lots of children here have really got behind the idea of supporting the project. We call the project Homework Club India because it demonstrates DMU Square Mile’s commitment to education for all – like our Leicester-based Homework Club. This project, hopefully, is something that will run and run now. I’m already really excited at the prospect of what could be achieved next week. Congratulations to my DMU Square Mile colleagues and #DMUGlobal for putting it all together and good luck to the staff and students on what I am sure will be a trip of a lifetime. Follow the trip live via Twitter here with @DMUglobal and @DMUSquareMile
Public engagement blog: Project in India will transform education for hundreds of children
