ROOF – Sanitation & Shelter Program
ROOF – Sanitation & Shelter Program
The ROOF Program, launched in 2012 by Helping Hands Charitable Trust, focuses on improving the basic living standards of marginalized families by providing what they lack most — a toilet or a roof over their head. The name “ROOF” reflects the core idea: a secure shelter and the dignity of a safe home.
UN SDG alignment
UN SDG alignment
Why we started
Why we started
Unsafe Living Conditions
Families relied on open sanitation, with women waiting until night for privacy.
Insecure Shelter
Makeshift homes had leaking roofs, collapsing mud walls, and no clean water or safe floors.
ROOF Response
Launched to provide safe, clean, and private living spaces with dignity.
Unsafe Living Conditions
Families relied on open sanitation, with women waiting until night for privacy.
Insecure Shelter
Makeshift homes had leaking roofs, collapsing mud walls, and no clean water or safe floors.
ROOF Response
Launched to provide safe, clean, and private living spaces with dignity.
To provide safe, hygienic, and dignified living spaces for economically deprived families by building toilets and secure shelters
To provide safe, hygienic, and dignified living spaces for economically deprived families by building toilets and secure shelters
To provide safe, hygienic, and dignified living spaces for economically deprived families by building toilets and secure shelters
Impact on ROOF
The Care Home Program by Helping Hands Charitable Trust, launched in 2019, provides free, hygienic, and compassionate accommodation to poor patients
The Care Home Program by Helping Hands Charitable Trust, launched in 2019, provides free, hygienic, and compassionate accommodation to poor patients
01
Sleep in unsafe and unhygienic conditions near hospitals
Launched in 2012, building over a decade of expertise in kidney health awareness and prevention.
03
Face food insecurity and malnutrition during treatment
More than 2,200 high-risk cases identified in time for preventive action and medical follow-up.
02
Over 3,00,000 individuals reached through free and accessible screening drives across communities.
04
Comprehensive checks — urine protein, blood pressure, blood sugar, creatinine — with referrals for ongoing care.
How it works
From doorstep assessments to secure, well-built homes — every step is shaped with community participation and dignity
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
Assessment & Verification
Field volunteers identify needs through home visits, verifying economic vulnerability, land status, and safety criteria.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
Assessment & Verification
Field volunteers identify needs through home visits, verifying economic vulnerability, land status, and safety criteria.
Impact on ROOF
Building safe sanitation and secure homes for those most in need.
01
Over 440 toilets built, averaging one new unit every week, ensuring safer sanitation for families.
03
Women-led homes • Elderly alone • Children & disabled • Marginalized urban/coastal families
02
More than 15 permanent houses (650–700 sq. ft. each) providing secure shelter.
04
Consistent construction pace with a focus on dignity, safety, and long-term community well-being.
How it works
From doorstep assessments to secure, well-built homes — every step is shaped with community participation and dignity
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
Assessment & Verification
Field volunteers identify needs through home visits, verifying economic vulnerability, land status, and safety criteria.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
Assessment & Verification
Field volunteers identify needs through home visits, verifying economic vulnerability, land status, and safety criteria.
How it works
From doorstep assessments to secure, well-built homes — every step is shaped with community participation and dignity
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
Assessment & Verification
Field volunteers identify needs through home visits, verifying economic vulnerability, land status, and safety criteria.
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
We lived in a hut where we couldn’t stand upright. The new home changed our life — we now sleep without fear.
Shahina
Coastal Calicut
As a widow, I felt unsafe at night. The toilet gave me back my dignity.
Latha
Urban Slum Resident
Gallery
Gallery
Lastest blog posts
Lastest blog posts
ROOF
When Compassion Called for a Toilet: The Story Behind ROOF
When Compassion Called for a Toilet: The Story Behind ROOF
View More
ROOF
A Toilet, A Door, A Life Changed: What ROOF Means to a Family
A Toilet, A Door, A Life Changed: What ROOF Means to a Family
View More
Impact on ROOF
The Care Home Program by Helping Hands Charitable Trust, launched in 2019, provides free, hygienic, and compassionate accommodation to poor patients
01
Launched in 2012, building over a decade of expertise in kidney health awareness and prevention.
03
More than 2,200 high-risk cases identified in time for preventive action and medical follow-up.
02
Over 3,00,000 individuals reached through free and accessible screening drives across communities.
04
Comprehensive checks — urine protein, blood pressure, blood sugar, creatinine — with referrals for ongoing care.
Special campaigns
Special campaigns
Special campaigns
Current need
Build toilets for 12 families
Target: ₹5,40,000 (₹45,000 per unit)
Raised So Far: ₹2,10,000
Upcoming Goal
Construct 5 micro-homes for high-risk elderly women — ₹15,00,000
Rain-proof old housing units in 3 locations — ₹3,00,000
Request a Camp Now
Who can apply?
Who can apply?
Families without a toilet
Women-headed or elderly households without a safe shelter
Urban poor or marginalized coastal residents
Required Info
Photos of current home/living condition
Basic ID + land details or NOC
Contact and reference from local authority/volunteer
Apply for ROOF Support
Support ROOF projects
₹45,000 → Build a Toilet
₹3,00,000 → Sponsor a Home (650–700 sq. ft.)
₹15,000 → Partial support for materials or labour
Donate cement, roofing sheets, plumbing material
Sponsor a women’s toilet block
Why it matters
Natural disasters leave families exposed, hungry, and afraid. Helping Hands doesn’t just offer relief — we restore hope, one home at a time.
Why it matters
A toilet can save lives and a roof can protect childhood — for those without, these are basic human rights that ROOF restores with dignity.
Support ROOF projects
₹45,000 → Build a Toilet
₹3,00,000 → Sponsor a Home (650–700 sq. ft.)
₹15,000 → Partial support for materials or labour
Donate cement, roofing sheets, plumbing material
Sponsor a women’s toilet block
