Toilet Construction by Saraswati Group: July 22nd, 23rd and 24th

Toilet construction: By saraswati Group

We went to Jhiglikothi to build a toilet for Ramadevi. Ramadevi is a disabled woman with difficulty walking. We started the first day with Vineeth and Rohan hauling rocks to the area where the toilet was going to be built. This was the day they became men. The girls knocked off 10 years off their lives by painting the waste barrels with noxious lead paint. Luckily, it rained later because they had to clean their hands with another potentially dangerous substance: kerosene. In order to collect bricks from the shop back to the work site, Sathvik and Nikhil had to ride a tractor, which was a new experience for them. We then formed a train down a steep hill to pass the large rocks and bricks closer to the toilet building site. Of course, the CORD workers Deepakbhai and Ravinderbhai added to the work while showing off their English speaking skills to us. After mixing several buckets of cement, we made successful “trains” to pass cement and bricks to lay out the foundation.

Day 2: The mason was with the New Jersey group the first day, so the second day was when the real work began. We continued hauling bricks using human chains, and mixed endless buckets of cement. The girls also developed biceps as Gopika, Priya and Shivani were an integral part of starting the toilet. After several chai breaks due to the heat, we helped the mason lay out a fourth of the entire bathroom.

Day 3: Again, we helped mainly carry bricks and lay cement. The mason forbade us from aligning the bricks so we found small chores to help speed the process up. While mixing cement, Deepak Bhaiya found a toad that we (mainly Priya) spent time catching and holding. Also, we were impressed by the dedication of Deepak and Ravinder bhai and their desire to improve the villages. In the middle of the day,  we ran out of bricks so the guys went to get some more and rode back on top of the vehicle clinging on for dear life on the way back. After that we spent most of the time handing the mason bricks and mixing cement and we got back at around 7:00, the most strenuous and longest day of work. We were also interviewed by a local newspaper "Punjab Kesari" and had our picture published in our moment of fame.