Sulabh International

Today was the first day of our rotation! We headed to the Sulabh International to learn more about the amazing work being done there. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak is the founder of the organization and its mission is the removal of untouchability, and riddance of social discrimination against the scavengers (a section of Indian society condemned to clean and carry human excreta manually). Sulabh is noted for achieving success in the field of cost-effective sanitation, liberation of scavengers, social transformation of society, prevention of environmental pollution and development of non-conventional sources of energy.

When we arrived we first went to the Toilet Museum within Sulabh International. There we learned about the evolution of the toilet and the many different types of toilets around the world. It was interesting to learn how kings would have throne toilets made so they could talk to people while defecating, two toilets attached so lovers could be together, and even toilets hidden within a table which could be used for bathroom purposes as well as card games.

The throne toilet.

After that we went to the main hall where a prayer was sung as we stood on stage. It was pretty grounding to hear prayers surrounding a green earth, dignity for all, and hopes for clean health practices for everyone. We were then presented with tapestries as a welcome gift which was a total surprise. I think all our hearts were warmed by the generosity and beauty of the moment we had just experienced. We then went on to a tour of the school near the main building. Here girls and young women were learning trades, and it was a mix of girls from both upper and lower class. We stopped in on the fashion designing and sewing class, the technology class, and the beauty class. One of the most interesting things at the school was the area designated for creation of feminine products. Dr. Bindeshwar partly started this project for women since women not only needed a safe place to use the bathroom but also needed a clean area during menstruation to take care of their hygiene. This was a big reason for female school dropout, and therefore was an important issue for Sulabh to address. In this part of the building they were creating low cost pads for females and had put in machines in certain areas to dispense these products.

Product Creation

We then headed to learn more about the developments in environmental sustainability that Sulabh was making. We learned about the two pit toilets which you can see on their website. They also had created ways to use methane gas from human waste to generate gas which could be used for cooking, fires, and light posts. We ended the day with a brief presentation on the culture of India and the history of scavengers, and the development and current work of Sulabh.

Water treatment process.

Using biogas to cook!

Altogether, we had an amazing day. I learned so much and thought that Sulabh International was an awesome and inspiring organization. They saw a public health issue and not only addressed it but went the extra mile to see that the women and young girls had an education and training to enter a new profession. They empowered them to take control of their futures and be what they wanted to be. Most of all the health of a nation is steadily improving due to small but important actions started by a small group of visionaries. We look forward to learning more about their work at a local site tomorrow!

Sulabh International Website: http://www.sulabhinternational.org/meet-sulabh/

As a fun side stop we went to Humayun’s Tomb which was built for him after he died by his first wife. It was incredible to walk in and see the huge tomb. Apparently it is the precursor to Taj Mahal which we hope to see soon! It was the biggest green space we have seen since coming to India. I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking…