International Year of Sanitation

Apparently the UN declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation, so it’s very appropriate that we are here doing our part to improve sanitation practices in Hubli. Of course, clean water isn’t the solution to all health problems, but the fact that, according to the World Health Organization, “nearly 1.8 million people die of diarrhea each year”, and that “88% of diarrhea cases is attributable to unsafe water or inadequate hygiene or sanitation” highlights the ever present need to target the contaminated water that the people of Hubli depend on.

Preparing for this summer, I fully expected to encounter plenty of things that would be heavy for both my heart and my head, so before leaving LA, I bought The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer, which is clearly a book that isn’t to be taken too seriously and doesn’t require much of my attention. I started reading this chick lit this morning before our Kannada class, and I came across this section:

“I believe that within every one of us is a woman of undiscovered beauty, a woman who is charming and talented and light of heart. I believe that all we need is a fairy godmother to dust us off and bring out our potential and, while she’s at it, turn the rats in our lives into coachmen.”

Maybe the book shouldn’t be taken seriously, but maybe this can be true. Great potential can be masked by unappealing appearances or unfortunate circumstances. But get past that, and who knows what one can find?

Today we visited SM Krishna Nagar, an area that was built by the government to provide housing for low-income families. It’s an area that we’re seriously considering working with because we feel it has a lot of potential – especially after actually seeing the place. After our visit, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we had a lot of thoughts going through our heads. Thoughts of the immense need for assistance in this community; of the exciting times we have ahead of us if we are to work with the people there; of the always pleasantly surprising welcoming nature of everyone we encounter. The houses there are small and shanty, and the stream that flows alongside the community is nearly black and surrounded by debris. The school isn’t nearly as big as the one by the ladies hostel here on the BVB campus, and too many of the children there are without desks. But the smiling faces and the shy giggling is all the same. The principal spoke English, which we were grateful for because we had been told that no one would speak English in this community. Although our project plans have not been completely finalized, it was definitely reassuring to realize that we would have the support of the school staff.

Maybe we can’t be fairy godmothers for the people of SM Krishna Nagar and fix all their problems, but we can certainly try to help get rid of one rat in their lives and bring clean water to them. And just maybe one of those adorable children covered in dirt will recognize the need that we’re trying to address with our project and become someone great who brings improvements to the community that go beyond our group’s capabilities.