Hello everyone.

I am going to India for ten weeks as a volunteer as part of a group who will be working for the charitable organisation Raleigh International which works in partnership with the ICS.

 

Our main aims are to improve sanitation and eradicate disease.

 

Many communities in India have to endure a wide range of problems such as poor health, limited access to education, poor sanitation, limited clean water and limited means in order to produce a profitable livelihood.

 

As there are limited toilets in manypoor communities in India, it means some people may have no access at all to sanitation.Therefore we will be building eco-sanitation toilets, after 6 months the contents of the toilet will become fertilzer which can be used to fertilize crops. This will mean that people in poor communities will be able to eat foods of greater nutritional value, meaning there will a lesser chance of malnutrition.

 

The fertilizer can also be sold, which allows the communities to create a greater financial income. Which is useful as 28.6% of Indians live off of the equivalent of $1.25 per day!

 

Also the fact that there are limited toilets in many communities means that women, in fear social backlash or losing their dignity will chose to defecate or urinate at night in forested or secluded areas.This leaves them highly at risk to animal attacks from snakes, stray dogs or to sexual assault. In situations like this in such isolated surroundings women are left defenceless.Alternatively women may frequently resist defecation which can lead to medical problems such as chronic kidney failure, colon or rectal cancer among others. Also to prevent themselves from going they may frequently refrain from drinking water. In India’s hot climate doing this can severely increase the risk of dehydration, heat stroke and disease as well other medical complications.

 

Lack of dignity also affects education. Only 31% of Indians have access to improved sanitation facilities, furthermore only 10% of schools in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu have toilets. This has resulted in many parents pulling their daughters out of school, due to their lack of privacy. This is a contributing factor as to why many Indian children will drop out of school by the age of just 10!

 

The ICS and Raleigh international partnership also works to provide;

 

tribal houses which give people shelter and some where safe to live.

 

Schools, which allows a greater number of children to have access to education

 

Gravity feed water systems, which allows people to have clean and fresh water supply. Furthermore the organisation runs local community and school workshops to educate people on general health and hygiene and the importance of good sanitation. Poor sanitation can lead to diseases such as typhus and cholera which can be fatal!  

Please donate as much as you feel you can afford. The money that you donate will help to empower people and save lives.

Thank you for your support.

 

Ashley John-Baptiste and Raleigh International.