Sanitation

It can be seen from the examples below that when residents and stakeholders in a community come together to solve an issue, the results are not only positive, but also long-lasting. Here we learn of ordinary citizens and local NGOs who inspired people in their areas to keep their surroundings clean and free of diseases.

Remember the 2004 Bollywood film in which an NRI Mohan Bhargava (played by Shah Rukh Khan) returns to India and is moved by the harsh realities faced by the people in his village to become an agent of change? The name of that film was Swades, and here is an organization called Swades Foundation that shares a similar mission - to bring about change in rural India. To know how they are doing this, read more.

Aneesha Menon, an India Water Portal Fellow, travels with The Nirmal Bharat Yatra (Great WASH Yatra) to understand the mindset in rural India on health and sanitation issues and to educate young girls on menstrual cycle and hygienic practices. While the lack of awareness is shocking, Aneesha finds an eagerness to learn and adapt which is encouraging. On visiting two schools to take a survey, she is happy to note that their visit seems to have left a positive impact on the young minds.

Meet 65-year-old Mula Devi, one of the prime movers behind the sanitation revolution that is now sweeping through Bhimnagar.