New Day

Today we visited Sulabh International in Alwar. The three hour drive to the complex was well worth it, as it turned out to be an incredible trip. We were warmly welcomed and decorated with beautiful rose necklaces and bindi.

Entrance to the Sulabh Complex -- Nai Disha means New Day

Sulabh International’s main motivation, as mentioned previously, is to promote sanitation and provide sustainable resources for women who were once scavengers.

What is a scavenger? Scavengers are women whose job is to pick up night soil in the early morning before the sun rises. These women, their faces covered by shawls, carry buckets and brooms to pick up human waste. Their husbands then drive the ladies out of the city to dump the soil. In Alwar alone, there were a total of 115 scavengers. They visited 15 houses/day and received a monthly salary of 300-400 Rupees/month (= $4-6 a month). These women are born into this position and did not have the option of another job. They are not allowed to touch anything in the shops, hence their name the “untouchables.” However, this was their job. They have never been in school; they get leftover food from the night to eat.

However, this all changed when Dr. Pathak walked into their lives. Dr. Pathak believes that the toilet is a tool for social change. He offered these ladies 2000 rupees a month to stop doing this job. They said “no” because they were not ready and fearful that this would not be sustainable. However, with the help of Dr. Pathak, the scavengers learned personal hygiene, manners, and how to be tidy and clean. Only 34 of the 115 women joined Sulabh at first by giving their name to register for the NGO. After time, they gained respect and were welcomed generously into society. They were able to go to the temple and now wear yellow saris indicating the same class as the upper class.

In 2009, Alwar was declared the first scavenger-free city. We had the opportunity today to meet these phenomenal women. One woman in particular, Usha, shared her story. She was once a scavenger and is now the President of the organization in Alwar. Her passion is to share her story and Sulabh with different states to motivate other scavengers and eradicate this practice. Her story was inspirational and a true testament to the sustainability of Sulabh’s mission.

In addition to learning about Usha’s story, we were able to see the different trades that the ladies are trained in at Sulabh such as embroidery, fashion, sewing, cooking, and beauty. They even allowed us to try on some of the saris that they had designed and made!

Usha (right) talking about the different trades

After trying on saris, they shared more of their artistic talents with us by giving us henna.

While in Alwar, we also had the opportunity to explore the City Palace which was the king’s old residence. Surrounded by water and mountains, this palace was picturesque!

City Palace

We are so grateful for the hospitality the ladies of Sulabh Alwar showed and for sharing their stories and talents with us. It was refreshing to see the fruits of all of the hard work that has been put into this organization. Sustainability is an important aspect of public health, and Sulabh’s mission has shown to be sustainable, as we saw today in Alwar. Its public health mission toward improved sanitation through toileting is inspirational. It is truly remarkable when the poorest of India in health and wealth achieve such a drastic change in quality of life and health! Thank you, Sulabh, for sharing your time and talents!