Sulabh

Sulabh International has become synonymous with toilets in India. However, the organization is so much more and its story and the stories of those involved in it are incredibly inspiring.

This organization, started in the 1970s by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, aimed to achieve Mahatma Ghandi's dream of freeing the scavengers. Manual scavenging is a system of employing people for public sanitation--manual removal of excreta from "dry toilets", i.e. toilets without the modern flush system. Most scavengers are women. They work before sunrise to clean the dry toilets, carry the excrement in buckets on their heads, and walk long distances to dispose of the feces. These scavengers, usually from the lowest caste, are shunned from society. They have to cover their heads in public, are not allowed in temples, are not allowed to get water from public areas, their children are not allowed in schools, and they are deemed "the untouchables." Not only do they suffer discrimination but also are infected with a myriad of diseases.

Sulabh wanted to and liberate these women from their profession but first needed to develop a concept for building and managing public toilets in India. Only then could the untouchables truly be free. With this in mind and after years of hardship, Dr. Pathak and his team were able to develop a system of manual flush toilets (the users pours 2 L of water into the toilet to "flush").

Pictured here is an open-air manual toilet. As I've written before, many Indian villagers practice open-air defecation. It is their belief that this is the better way, so as to not breathe in the unpleasant fumes and to enjoy nature. Also, most villages lack public sewers and septic lines. Even if they wanted toilets they would not be able to actually use it. These toilets are hooked up to two septic tanks. One is used for a period of two years and the system switches over to the other tank. For the next two years tank A ferments into fertilizer and tank B is used for storage of sewage. The fertilizer can then be used for agriculture (of which 65% of India's population is dependent). You'll notice here that the toilet is squat style. Sulabh took into account the needs and wants of the people (open-air, squatting) but gave them privacy and a way to properly dispose of the wastes. This system requires no public sewer system or running water. Ingenious!




Sulabh also makes toilets with roofs, with Western style toilets, and the materials are constructed out of those that are readily available in the various parts of India (rock, cement, even wood). Over 1.2 million of such toilets have been constructed and are currently in use. Additionally, they have recently built a model of toilets that harness biogas (generation of CH4 from excreta and a filtration unit with UV rays to purify urine for water for agriculture). This is currently being used to power the Sulab campus and in Kabul.

Sulabh also includes a school for children of scavengers. The ratio of scavengers to other castes is 60:40. The kids learn together, eat together, and play together. They have learned to get along and no longer discriminate. A third component of Sulabh is their vocational school. Women who were previously scavengers learn new trades to support their families. They produce high quality saris and food products and learn skills to open/work in a beauty parlor. Their work is now in high demand and people eat food products produced by women they would not have even looked at 10 years ago.







Practicing the art of henna













Sulabh students. When we visited, some of them gave us speeches on the importance of environmental consciousness and sanitation (in English!) Very impressive.



We visited a village called Lugputaga in the state of Rajasthan in which all of scavenging has been eradicated. Since 2001, they have trained and rehabilitated 113 women. These ladies are now all accepted members of society--invited to weddings, they shared food with their previous employers, welcomed in the local temple, and their children in local schools. It was so inspiring to see what these women and Sulabh were able to accomplish!

Making Saris

You'll notice that all the women are wearing blue saris. This is their uniform when at work and the color symbolizes freedom. They told us that whenever they put on the uniform, they are filled with much pride.






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I am attempting to make popadoms (sp?) And failing. Obviously.













The ladies are so much better than I am! The ladies offered to draw henna on us. Pictured here with the artists.

Being tourists. At a castle built in the late 1700s. This white marble structure is where the King of Rajasthan would addess his court. I couldn't imagine talking to people outside in this heat!