India (2000-2007) continued
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The tsunami prompted us to become involved with a local NGO named Bless and it is through them that we have channelled much of our work in the area. We started with a substantial project in the village of Madhuanthaganallur where we introduced thirteen shallow hand pumps, five deep well hand pumps, twenty one street taps, three over head tanks, two hundred and forty two toilets, twenty biogas toilets and a large ecosan toilet for the school. This physical work was introduced at the same time as an educational and training programme was underway to ensure the participants understood the value of the facilities being installed and the correct method of usage.
The project had three impacts on our work: firstly it introduced us to the widespread use of eco-sanitation toilets; secondly we actively participated in the formation of self help groups, especially among the women; and thirdly it made us understand the importance of training to ensure the long term success of our work.
These three factors now play a major role in our work around the world.
From this time on several projects overlapped as we also started working in Tamil Nadu’s northern neighbour State Andhra Pradesh, and continued our work with Bless in Cuddalore.
Our American friend David Purviance introduced us to a number of orphanages in Andhra Pradesh that had been built by Methodist missionaries at the turn of the 20th century, which had fallen into a terrible state of repair. Over a two period we worked in a number of a facilities including the Methodist Rural Children’s Home, near Hyderabad, Methodist Boarding Home for Girls and Boys, Chandrakal, Mary Knott Hostel, Vikarabad and the Little Flower Home in Nagercoil.
Pretty much without exception the facilities provided enabled the young girls, in particular, to go about their ablutions without the prying eyes of older men watching their every move – a sad factor of modern day India.
One other project we supported in Hyderabad was through an organisation called Technology for the People, an excellent group working with Moslem girls in order to give them computer and graphic design training that they may be able to find a good job and, frequently, support their family.
Concurrently we were working in Tamil Nadu where we worked on numerous projects introducing sustainable water and eco-sanitation facilities. Again the projects are too numerous to mention, but St Mary’s School at Anna Velankanni, the two St Joseph’s at both Krishnakuppam and Vazhuthalampattu, and the charmingly delightful Sri Murugan School.
If there was a jewel in the eco-sanitation crown it is the women only eco-sanitation complex at Mohan Singh Street in Cuddalore. This complex, which follows our mandate that where possible we only use compressed earth blocks, has been designed for the use of three hundred and fifty women and their children. It gives these women not just eco-san toilets, but bathing and clothes washing facilities as well, all in a well built enclosure thereby ensuring absolute privacy.
In 2006 we also embarked on our most ambitious project to date, and that was a forty eight house construction using compressed earth blocks in a village called Karrigan Nagar. When finished this project, which we feel may be the largest of its kind anywhere in India (if not the world), will provide housing, sustainable water and eco-sanitation toilet facilities to some of the poorest people you will find anywhere. They all come from the lowest Indian caste and, like many others, are in great need of support.
Please check for further updates on Karrigan Nagar as at the time of writing it is not finished.
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