written by Manish Mehta
Successful Site Tour on April 1 - Rotary Sanitation Grants’ Goals Far Exceeded - 1,170 Toilets Completed in Sundarbans (E. India)!
I was humbled to serve as a “toilet inspector” on March 31 and April 1, assessing progress with Kolkata Rotarians on two Rotary Foundation sponsored sanitation Global Grants led by Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North (RCAAN).
On April 1 early morning, I accompanied the ever-energetic Rotn Rakesh Sahni of RCCM and 5 of his club members - Radhika Sahni, Ruby and Matoo Sikri, Samir Prasad, Joydeep Chatterji, Probir Chatterji of Mississauga Ontario, and Sumi Agrawal of Inner Wheel Club of Calcutta-Midtown (our instigator since 2009!) - We hiked in ~105F steamy temperatures across a 2 km area in the lush greenery of the Sundarbans where these newest toilets are constructed.
We toured the area occupied by both Muslim and Hindu families together with the Ramkrishna Ashram’s monks and two sanitation contractors on foot and by vehicle over sandy, often precarious embankments for about 5 hours to inaugurate 20 new toilets. Our cars could only go so far!
These toilets will empower rural woman-run households with health, hygiene and safety to enable them to take up sustainable vocations and thus, raise their living standards.
The photos and videos I have uploaded don’t do sufficient justice to portraying the harsh realities of rural life in the Sundarbans, or can ever recognize the hardships and challenges our Rotary/Inner Wheel/Ramkrishna partners have experienced in bringing in-home sanitation to these secluded communities.
Look for photos acknowledging Rotary Clubs of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor West, Chelsea, Milan, Novi, Saline and Ypsilanti Rotary Clubs.
Both grant projects have far exceeded their original targets of rural in-home toilets awarded to villagers in the Sundarbans and areas surrounding Kolkata, thanks to frugal money management by our Rotary partners, bulk procurement of building supplies, and leverage with Exide Battery Corp.
The status of Global Grants is summarized below:
(1) Global Grant 1527157 ($96k) with District 3291 Foundation and ~30 Calcutta area Clubs has completed 526 toilets (original goal was 500). My meeting was held with Rotn Jayanta Chatterji on 3/31/18.
(2) Global Grant 1526428 ($84k + investment by Exide Battery) on Project Dignity undertaken with the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Midtown (RCCM), and 7 co-sponsor Michigan Rotary Clubs has now completed 400 toilets with the NGO Sri Ramakrishna Ashram Nimpith (SRAN)...
Add to these figures 120 toilets completed in 2011-12 under the leadership or late Rotn Paresh Rajda.
The total count now exceeds 1170 toilets!
More photos click following link: 1,170 Toilets Completed in Sundarbans (E. India)
