Tamil Nadu is one of India’s poorest states. Disadvantaged rural and peri-urban families live in poor quality housing and often lack access to clean water and basic sanitation. Over 80 per cent of the 100,000 women being targeted by this project do not have access to a toilet and very few use hygienic methods to deal with their menstruation. Most do not have access to clean drinking water. Between 60 and 80 per cent of all illnesses in these districts occur due to inadequate water and sanitation, resulting in conditions such as diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid and cholera. Limited sanitation and personal hygiene options have also led to a high proportion of women suffering from life threatening diseases, including urinary tract infections and cervical cancer. In order to support 100,000 households in the Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri Districts in Tamil Nadu (India) to understand and address the importance of safe drinking water, sanitation and personal hygiene, the project will be implemented through an existing network of organised groups of women called Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Homeless International’s local partner organisation, the Integrated Village Development Project (IVDP), has been working with this network of SHGs for the past 25 years, enabling poor women to realise their aspirations for improved health and standard of living. The project will support the following activities: 1) Mobilising and training 5,000 women community leaders around issues of safe water, sanitation and personal hygiene who will then pass on this knowledge to the women within their SHGs. Training will focus on three interlinked subjects; a) the beneficial effects of safe drinking water to reduce water borne diseases and the options to access and properly maintain overhead water tanks and water filters b) the construction, usage and maintenance of household toilets, and c) the health issues related to personal hygiene especially in respect of menstruation 2) IVDP staff training to further develop their capacity to effectively support the SHGs 3) SHG meetings for internal monitoring and review 4) Equipping SHG offices and training rooms with basic materials and furniture 5) IVDP administration, audit and programme monitoring.