On 23rd October 2019, Anant Vikas ran the first-ever Urban-Rural Marathon with 500+ Students from Bombay Scottish School and 17 rural schools from Khalapur Block, Raigad District, Maharashtra for the awareness and implementation of Nirmal Jal Abhiyan.
Clean drinking water is a huge problem in the rural areas so the aim of the marathon was to make rural communities aware of simple, safe & secure drinking water solution. The 3 km marathon started from Nimbarwadi and finished in Ambevadi village. The city and village students ran holding hands as a symbol to bridge the urban-rural divide.
The usage and benefits of Nirmal Jal tablet at household level was creatively showcased by Bombay Scottish Students through songs and street plays in local language to educate the rural community.
“The urban-rural students coming together was not only a visual delight but also an effective medium on creating awareness about clean drinking water solution and there should be more of these events in future’ stated Mrs Asha Narayan Khedkar, Sr. Extension Officer from Khalapur Block Education Department. The teachers from Bombay Scottish School found it an enriching experience for their students as the city students merged with the village students to create awareness for Nirmal Jal Campaign 2019 as they participated hand-in-hand for the marathon.
Nirmal Jal is an initiative of Anant Vikas that aims to inspire High School Students to volunteer and be part of the movement and be a catalyst of change in the villages.
Hriitu Rana, Founder & CEO, Anant Vikas believes that igniting the minds of urban youths to volunteer in rural India will unite the hearts of urban and rural youths thus changing the soul of the Nation. With Nirmal Jal campaign, let’s all pledge to bridge the gap between urban-rural communities.
