Mettuplayam Village in Kumily Panchyat of Kanchipuram District is Declared ODF ( Open Defecation ) Free
March 23rd 2018 was a red letter for this village that houses 25 families of the
Irula Community . We had a very nice function to declare this village as free
from ODF. A total of 25 individual toilets were built in a very quick time and
made available for use for the families .
- If good
things have to happen, they will happen – No one can stop it – The background to this construction
of the first phase of a total of 300 toilets is an interesting one . Bill Ford Better World Challenge awards
grants for projects that will significantly improve health and sanitary
conditions for people. As part of that US $ 140,000 was awarded to work on
improving sanitation and hygiene conditions in India. The Project managed
by two lovely ladies based out of Ford US Jennifer Leonard and Nihala choose the Kanchipuram district of India, ( being close to the
communities that Ford is in and also to facilitate volunteering ) and 300 SMART toilets were to be
installed at residential homes to mitigate poor sanitation. The program
includes education on good hygiene practices. The
SMART toilet facility is equipped with lighting, allows for hand washing,
and provides twin pits for sustainable use and maintenance.
- The team from the U.S. also identified the NGO that
will help roll out this project. The NGO Gramalaya based out of Trichy and
is known for its pioneering work in
the area of Smart Toilets with the
help of the local team narrowed down three Panchayats of Kumily , Kalavai
and Kannivakkam all close to the Manufacturing facility but all having no
access to sanitation facilities
- We had in February of this year a small function
to dedicate two of the 25 toilets ( Pilot ones ) and that function was a
big eye opener to me . The first of the toilets was constructed at the
house of a person who could not walk .He spoke about how he was now a
freed man . Prior to the Toilet at his home , he had to rely on others who
had to carry him or bike him across the road in to the forests where he
could then relieve himself. If no one was available , he just had to hold.
He said “ I do visit temples and the only prayer that I had to God was ,
Have someone build a toilet for me . This toilet is a dream come true “ .
All of us make various prayers and requests to God but this one was so
different . The toilet that is built at his home supports differently
challenged people with a ramp and so now
he can now manage himself without troubling others.
- Within six weeks the balance of the 23 were done
. When we entered the village , it was like a festival. We were received
by bursting of crackers. The streets were decorated and wore a festive
look. There were more Women than men in the crowd. We along with Gramalaya
Founder Mr. Damodaran and his team visited each home and the toilets that were built.
For the first time I saw Toilets being decorated with balloons and the
entrance of the toilets had Rangolis laid out. Each of the them posed in
front of the toilet, very proud of the fact that they can use them when
they wanted. The entire family with the children posing in front of the
toilets was a great sight. Everyone
smiling , happy.
- Then after the inspection , we had the official
function and one of the women from
the village spoke . It was a stunning speech. She started slowly , set up
Ford and Gramalaya for a special thanks and used verbiage that was
unexpected of a village lady ( Kodi Million thanks ). The courage and the
conviction with which she spoke amazed everyone . So much of talent . Just
need a way to harness the entire village.
The success factors :
The Bill Ford Challenge fund being available
and then the choice of Jennifer and Nihala to do work in India and in Chennai
and find villages close to Ford Communities.
Gramalya is an outstanding NGO with great
resourcing to execute projects – They did the surveys , identified the right
villages to work in and had the operating model to succeed .Their model of
creating the village committee to take ownership of the project along with them
was a significant factor for success They trained the villagers in various
hygiene practices before the toilets were in place. They had very good
coordinators on board with them , who worked with the villagers and got their
trust and confidence.
Finally , it was the villagers of this Irula
community themselves.They had a portion
of the cost to contribute and along with that they were fully engaged to make
this project a success. It is fact that the Toilets are the first cement
construction in the village . They all live in thatched houses !
It is not the end of
this journey . Work has commenced on the other villages –and when those smart
toilets are completed , it will be a big step in making hygiene and sanitation
a habit for these villagers. Still there is plenty to do 
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