This woman and her 11 year old daughter single-handedly ended open defecation in a Lucknow village

In a small village called Papnamau in Lucknow, one woman fought against all odds with her little daughter and made sure every house in the village had a toilet.

This is the true story of women power and how if a woman takes it in her head to do something, no one can stop her. We’ve been seeing the Indian government initiatives regarding the ill effects of open defecation and how to stop the practice. Many Indian households still not not have a toilet or even a community toilet and choose to defecate in the open. While the trend is more popular in villages, even in cities we often see many of the poor lined up alongside railway tracks or near slum areas defecating in the open. The government has been urging Indians to construct toilets and trying to inform them of how open defecation is harming not only their health but the health of the entire community. But unfortunately, old habits often die hard.

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However, in a small village called Papnamau in Lucknow, one woman fought against all odds with her little daughter and made sure every house in the village had a toilet. The village now boasts of zero open defecation. Noor Jahan, a resident of the village, once attended an Anganwadi workshop where she was told the importance of having a toilet and how it affects the health. Noor Jahan did not only hear the lesson but even decided to implement it. Knowing it would be difficult for her to convince her family, she began digging a pit all by herself  in one corner of her backyard and after toiling all by herself for a few days, she had her very own toilet in her own home! Noor Jahan also knew of the government subsidies provided for the construction of toilets for the under-privileged and was thus able to complete her dream of having a toilet.

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However, unlike many who simply implement the learnings in their own home, Noor Jahan realised that the condition would not change unless she made all the villagers understand the importance of having toilets. Thus began her difficult but not impossible crusade against the age old custom. Her unplanned ally in her fight against open defecation was her 11-year old daughter who proved essential in carrying the message around through her school and other kids. However, it was not easy. People of the village are conservative and they felt she was meddling too much in their personal affairs. Everyone in the village began to shun her. Her own husband was against her and even left her for some time hoping she would come to her senses. But despite all the opposition, Noor Jahan continued.

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She would personally visit each home in the village and tell them how having a toilet would improve their lives. The villagers would literally kick her and at times even hurl abuses at her, but she continued. Slowly, her efforts began to bear fruit as a couple of houses paid heed to her and understood what she was saying. Slowly, many of the houses began constructing their own toilets. By now, her husband, realising the error of his ways returned and even helped her for her cause! Even those villagers who could afford the construction began to agree to her plans when she informed them of the government support for constructing villages. Over 418 houses already have toilets and after 13 more toilets constructed over a period of 2 weeks, the entire village will be open defecation free!

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Now, with the help of her daughter Nargis, Noor Jahan is spreading the message on the importance of washing hands and cleanliness in the village. The little girl informs her classmates on how to wash hands before and after meals, after going to the toilet, etc. She is also teaching the villagers other sanitation practices like brushing their teeth daily, wearing clean clothes, etc. Little Nargis has also enlisted her teacher’s help in spreading the message so that more children believe her and take the message home to their parents! Slowly, the entire village is getting cleaner and healthier!

For their efforts, Noor Jahan and Nargis have both been awarded certificated and a cash prize of Rs 2000/- each by district magistrate Raj Shekhar”They not only constructed a toilet in their own house despite poverty but also motivated 418 families in Papnamau village to do so,” District Magistrate Raj Shekhar told IANS, praising the act of the duo. Hats off to the two and we wish we had more such women who not only bettered their own homes but even spread a message to the society!

Main Image Credit: TOI