Build 40 toilets for migrant workers in India

Dear Maitri Friend,

We have exciting news - we have broken ground on building toilets at five separate Rickshaw Garages where the Rickshaw Pullers not only park their rickshaws but also live there. It is not the ideal space for residence, but since they cannot afford to rent a room this is their only option.

In June, we were able to transport five bio-toilet tankers, 3 tankers of 3000 liters and 3 tankers of 2000 liters, along with barrels of bacteria from Delhi to Ranchi, Jharkhand.

The toilet areas were selected well in advance on needs of the beneficiaries, assessing space, water supply and maximum number of Rickshaw Pullers living in the garages. The construction of 14 cabins at five rickshaw garages that will benefit about 700 Rickshaw Pullers will be completed by September 2016.

Our end goal is to improve the quality of life for rickshaw pullers living in garages. And having proper sanitation facilities won’t achieve that unless they are properly used. That is why we have been holding health camps in Rickshaw Garages to teach hygienic practices. The garage owners being important stakeholders in this were brought in the meetings. They all have committed to supervise the cleanliness and functioning of the toilets. The Rickshaw Pullers were instructed not to carry bottles, papers, plastic, etc. inside the toilet. It’s the full responsibility of the garage owner to maintain the toilet with proper usage and cleanliness.

This effort will be ongoing until hygienic behaviors have become habitual.  But as the community toilets are completed, the Rickshaw Pullers will finally have access to a clean sanitation facility.

Thank you for your generous support to this project.  Access to sanitation facilities is a basic human right - one we may take for granted.  Thank you for helping us provide that to our hardworking community of Rickshaw Pullers.