Varthana Finance has secured a USD 6 million loan from WaterEquity to expand access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in underserved school communities across India.

The funding will be deployed through Varthana’s school improvement loans, enabling affordable private schools to invest in clean drinking water, improved sanitation infrastructure and hygiene promotion. The initiative will primarily benefit schools in peri-urban and rural areas.

The transaction marks WaterEquity’s first global investment in the school finance sector and introduces WASH lending for schools as a new product in its debt portfolio. WaterEquity currently supports water and sanitation impact across 23 countries through partnerships with financial institutions.

Steve Hardgrave, Wholetime Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Varthana, said the partnership integrates WASH improvements into school financing to support healthier learning environments. Amit Agarwal, Head of South and Central Asia for Financial Institutions at WaterEquity, said the collaboration would help scale access to dignified WASH facilities and improve attendance and learning outcomes.

The initiative is expected to contribute to better public health, higher school attendance and progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation access.

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