Open defecation has serious health & safety risks, and the Government of India has made ending it across the country a priority. But truly ending open defecation is more complicated than just building toilets.
Firstly, these toilets need to be maintained & kept clean (after all, who wants to use a dirty toilet?). Local attitudes need to change too: behavioral changes, awareness and educational campaigns to promote knowledge of hygienic toilet use are also essential.
Enter Suman. Suman is a taxi driver and part-time DJ living & working in Chipayi Nagar, Kumananchavadi, India. He first encountered the Hygiene with Chhota Bheem program at a parent-teacher meeting in April, after his daughter's school was chosen in our pilot study in 2018.
As Secretary of a local club that provides tuition, notebooks, and more to students in need, Suman instantly understood the critical significance of hygiene education. In that meeting, he volunteered to help build toilets for three families that didn't have access.
Thanks to support from the school, they had materials and laborers at the ready. The toilets were built in just a few days. But when Suman reached out to the local government for support to build even more toilets, things got more complicated.
The local government offered a Rs. 7000 (~$100) subsidy to help build toilets. But Suman found the actual expense of building toilets in his area was almost double that amount: Rs. 12000 (~$170). Undeterred, he provided the additional money to build more toilets himself. 20 have been built so far.
Here are some photos of the toilets Suman helped build for his community. The signs mention the year they were built, as well as who in the community owns each toilet (typically the oldest woman in each household).
Suman was not only instrumental in bringing critical infrastructural changes to his community, but cultural ones as well. He worked with the community to ensure families that needed toilets most got them first, and is helping to transform attitudes about toilet-use as well.
We're inspired by Suman's persistence and generosity, and proud to have played a role in helping him bring positive change to his community!
