School Washrooms ~ Melaiyuur, India
The children at Melaiyuur School in Tamil Nadu state, India, had no functioning washroom facilities. Curt Degler of Save Int'l, Peter Coughlan and Gail Tsukiyama of WaterBridge Outreach visited the school on several occasions to meet with the principal, the staff, and the students to see if they could work with the school to provide new facilities. With plans, budgets and the necessary permissions in place work took place to provide a facility that provides four stalls for the girls and two stalls for the boys. It is particularly important in India, where many schools have no functioning washrooms, to provide the necessary facilities. This is especially the case for girls who, at the time of puberty, sometimes drop out of education or are withdrawn from education by their parents due to the lack of facilities.
The construction of the washrooms, financed by WaterBridge Outreach, is a long process. A great deal of clearing and preparation has been necessary before building work could begin. The photos in the slideshow illustrate various stages of the work – including Curt Degler of Save Int’l with paint pot and paint brush in hand – and they show many of the boys and girls who attend the school in this remote rural area.
The United Nations has deemed November 19th to be World Toilet Day. In the words of the UN, World Toilet Day is a day to take action. 2.5 billion people of the world’s 7 billion do not have access to a toilet – despite the human right to water and sanitation. One billion people still defecate in the open. This has dramatic consequences on human health, dignity and security, the environment, and social and economic development. Having to defecate openly infringes on human safety and dignity. This holds particularly true for women and girls, who lose privacy and face shame having to defecate in public, or – after painfully holding their bladder and bowels all day – risk attack by waiting until night falls.
Join the global campaign to raise awareness about World Toilet Day and learn how you can take action by clicking here.