Introduction

In cities, a toilet is just a utility.

In the margins of Kerala’s urban and coastal communities, it’s a luxury — and a turning point in someone’s life.

Through the ROOF program, Helping Hands Charitable Trust has quietly built over 440 individual toilets and 15 homes, giving families more than shelter — we’ve given them dignity, safety, and a sense of belonging.

This is the story of why it matters — and how something as basic as a toilet can change everything.

🚫 The Reality Before ROOF

Many of the families we support live in:

• Temporary shelters made of tin sheets and tarpaulin

• Spaces without a roof or walls strong enough to withstand rain

• Households with no toilet — forcing women and children to go outdoors

For these families, the absence of sanitation leads to:

• Illness (especially in children)

• Missed school and work days

• Increased risk of assault for women

• Loss of self-respect and safety

“We had to walk nearly 500 meters every night for a bathroom. It didn’t feel like living. It felt like surviving.” — Asiya, Thrissur

🧱 What ROOF Builds

The ROOF program (named with the spirit of providing safety, not as an acronym) offers:

• Toilets with septic tanks — cost-efficient and sustainable

• Small homes (650–700 sqft) — for the most vulnerable

• Solid construction that lasts

• A simple idea: “Everyone deserves a roof — and a door that locks.”

📸 Image Placeholder: Before and after photos of a toilet or home recipient

💡 Real Impact, Real Fast

We build an average of one toilet every week, thanks to a growing network of donors and volunteers.

Each ₹45,000 contributed becomes:

• A place of privacy for a woman

• A reason for a girl to attend school regularly

• A family’s relief from humiliation and fear

• A new chapter of cleanliness and confidence

“We didn’t ask for much — just a small toilet so my daughter doesn’t have to leave the house at night. ROOF gave us that, and more.”— Mother of 3, Kozhikode

🌍 Aligned with UN SDGs

• SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation

• SDG 1 – No Poverty

• SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

• SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being

📸 Image Placeholder: Volunteer building or handing over a key to a new toilet/home

🙌 How You Can Help Build the Next Toilet or Home

🏠 Sponsor a Toilet: ₹45,000

🏚 Support a Shelter Home: ₹3,50,000 – ₹4,00,000

🧱 Donate Materials or Manpower as part of your CSR

🔗 Help Build Dignity →

Closing Note

For most of us, a toilet is just a door we close and forget.

But for someone in a corner of Kerala, it could be the first door to dignity they’ve ever had.

With ROOF, we don’t just construct toilets or shelters.

We build hope — one brick at a time.