Dhanam used the loan to build a bore well at her home

Dhanam has a family of seven. Four children, her mother, herself and her husband. But when I reached her home, only two appeared at the door. "My husband is out in the farmlands working." said Dhanam. "I would be too, but there is no work these days. Water is a problem around here. Without that, it starts to get difficult." All her children, except for her eldest daughter, are day-scholars at local schools and colleges. "I have a family of seven. If one person falls sick, it'll spread to the rest of us. And water is the one thing that brings illness. I decided to resolve that." Dhanam altered her plans to build a toilet and built a bore well instead. "More than open defecation," says Dhanam, "I fear the contamination in public tap-water. So a safe water supply seemed like a good option. Underground water is always cleaner."