“Women's collective makes sanitation programme a success in Bihar” has been written Alok Kumar in India Infrastructure Report, published in 2007 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This case study is the initiative of UNICEF to build up a strategic partnership with the Mahila Samakhya a forum of 2191 women’s self-help groups to enhance sanitation and hygiene in 10 districts of Bihar under the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC).

It looks at how The Mahila Samakhya programme for the education and empowerment of women facilitates formation of village-level self-help groups and provides women and adolescent girls literacy training and opportunities to develop and collectively affirm their potential. Through the programme, women gain in confidence and gather the strength to demand information and knowledge and move forward to change and take charge of their lives. This paper shown with the empowerment and collective efforts can achieve by pioneering the movement for sanitation in some of the state’s most backward and poorest areas.
It also highlights the key strategies adopted by the Mahila Samakhya as the road to achieve NGP award was not easy. This women’s collective has shown that rapid progress can be achieved in sanitation through a people-centred approach based on awareness and women’s empowerment. Beginning with a membership of barely 1000 women, the Mahila Samakhya today has a membership of 70,000 that is growing by the day. The demand for sanitation facilities is growing noticeably in all places where Mahila Samakhya has a reach.

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