Household Toilet Scheme Case Studies
Case Study-I
Ammanatty Village a Feather in the Cap of RDO Trust
RDO officials, who have been surveying the villages with and without household toilets all over the district, recently found that Ammanatty village lacked sanitation facilities. The village had a population of 860 with 220 families. 119 families have already built toilets. 40 percent of the village population did not have a sanitation facility, and hence they attended to nature’s call in the open spaces.
Since the area is covered with dense forest, women, elderly persons, disabled persons and patients experienced untold hardships during the night due to the movement of wild animals. On hearing the animal sounds in forests, the residents attending the nature’s call/defecating in open spaces had to shift from one place to another place fearing for their life. At this juncture, the village people met RDO Trust officials after hearing that the trust was campaigning for household toilet scheme through distribution of handbills, awareness camps, television advertisements and meetings of panchayat presidents and ward members to protect human lives and the environment.
Ward member Mr.Mahalingam brought more than 50 women to RDO Trust’s Director Mr. N. K. Perumal asking for help to construct toilets. The director acted swiftly by sending letters to banks and financial institutions seeking loans for construction of toilets. At the camps organized by Canara Bank, the trust spread awareness about the toilets and showcased the Pre-fabricated Toilets. 14 branches of Canara Bank in the Nilgiris district agreed to extend loans.
The next step was the formation of seven women Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) in the village. The JLGs opened savings account in Canara Bank. After the submission of loan applications by the groups, loans were sanctioned. 93 members in 7 JLG built toilets making the village open defecation free (ODF) with a toilet in each household.
Case Study-II
Toilet Brings Cheers to Kakkasholai Village
Kakkasholai village in Nedugula Panchayat of Kotagiri taluk is set to be an added feather in the cap of RDO Trust, next to Ammanatty village in Nanjanadu panchayat of Ooty taluk. Out of 350 families living at Kakkasholai village, 200 families have completed the toilet construction after the RDO officials motivated them through sustained campaigns in the village.
As these 200 families of Kakkasholai village were members of women SHGs, they were given bank loans. As the remaining families were not members of SHGs, they met the RDO Trust Director Mr .N.K Perumal with a request to help them to build toilets. Appreciating their desire to build toilets, the director immediately held discussions with them and advised them to form joint liability groups to obtain bank loans.
The happiest couple in Kakkasholai village is Ganesh-Annasheela who has two daughters-Divya, 26, and Shobana, 22. While Divya is married, Shobana is studying at a college in Coimbatore.
A jubilant Annasheela said: Before the construction of the toilet in our house, our daughter Shobana totally avoided coming to our village during holidays due to lack of toilet facility. She preferred to stay back in the college hostel rather than coming to our house. Now she is aware of the existence of a toilet in our house. At present Shobana is eagerly waiting for holidays to return to our house from college hostel and that too along with her college friends. We express our thanks to the RDO trust for helping us to have a toilet. It is an asset to us. It has brought cheers to our family and also to our village”.
In Kakkasholai village, the residents not only built toilets but also created a rainwater harvest facility, as the RDO trust created an awareness about the household toilet along with rainwater harvesting, stormwater drains, and solid waste management.
Case Study-III
Household Toilet: An Unimaginable Dream Comes True in Selipnagar
With a population of 285 with 61 families, the village is surrounded by agricultural lands and the area is utterly open without forests and bushes to hide and attend nature’s call. The residents particularly women and handicapped suffered as they were forced to defecate in the fields before dawn and after dusk. Since it was difficult to defecate during the daytime because the surrounding areas were completely exposed, it took a toll on their health.
After completion of the toilet constructions, they met the RDO officials and expressed their thanks stating that they had started a new healthy life after a gap of 25 years.