Rina Ghadei
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Authors
Chowdhury, Shreeyanka
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en
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Water and Sanitation
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Abstract
Rina Ghadei, aged about 40, lives at Godipatna, Dehuri Sahi in Ward No. 16, Choudwar with her husband, widowed mother-in-law, three adolescent daughters and a son. Her family traditionally used to make a living from weaving bamboo baskets by hand and selling them. As it became difficult to meet their daily needs, Rina and her husband started working as daily wage labourers. Now, they make baskets during off season only.
Life is certainly more hectic for Rina than her husband. She has to complete all the household chores before leaving for work. On a normal day, Rina wakes up at 5 a.m. and hustles together with her daughters to waste land located half a kilometre outside their slum’s periphery for their daily rituals. She takes a quick bath at the nearby water tap and comes back home to prepare breakfast for her family. She then leaves for work herself.
In hurrying through different tasks during the course of the day, time becomes a precious commodity for her. She finds that not being able to use a loo at a time convenient to her takes away a lot of time that she could devote to looking after the house and the family. It becomes a rushed affair as they will have to finish relieving themselves when it is still dark.
“The field does not have many high bushes or vegetation and there is nowhere to hide and relieve in peace. Men and other passers-by can see us from all sides. We are alarmed and uncomfortable and would hurry up when a vehicle would approach or somebody would walk by that way. There are men and their dirty gaze all around.” explains Rina. “I don’t think men face as many problems as us, women. As a woman, being forced to defecate in the open is like a daily assault to our safety and dignity. When my daughters go out to the field, their safety is a nagging thought and I have to be alert. I try to avoid letting them go on their own. I am worried about their health too.”
Not just the fear of men, many a times they get stalked by stray animals, especially dogs. She agrees that it is also dangerous to visit the field in the dark; especially, during the rainy season when the field turns almost into a shallow pond. Instead of relieving themselves they have to watch out for snakes and frogs. It is also difficult to venture out if there is a continuous downpour. Winters are equally harsh and chilly mornings or cold evenings can be torturous. “After returning from work, it feels tedious to walk all the way there to freshen up, even as we hold our bladders and wait for the evening light to fade,” said Rina. Having to go through their ablutions in such unhygienic conditions, she feels has negative consequences for hers and her daughters’ health.
She is also worried about her old mother-in-law, who has to walk a long distance while her knees hurt in pain. Walking that far when somebody is sick in the family is problematic.
Rina is keen about the new community toilet constructed under Swachh Samudai project in her slum since the time she heard about it during one of their community meetings. This toilet could have a great impact on their standard of life. “I think it will help us save some time and I can be more productive and earn more money. We don’t have to wait for long hours to relieve ourselves in the dark and can adopt good hygiene practices. We will also have more time for fun,” said Rina, who loves singing and watching and participating in plays with her daughters.
Swachh Samudai Project is being implemented in Choudwar Municipality, Odisha, India with support of H&M Foundation which seeks to demonstrate sustainable models of sanitation service delivery and enhance the capacity of the municipality and other state actors to deliver effective water and sanitation services in the area.
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