Environmental Networking Platform for Children and Youth by SAMSUNG E&A
Stay connected with Eco-generation :
| Share 
| 
- Home >
- Our Actions >
- Ambassador report
25
Comments
"Sanitation for all: Is it really for all?? "- Common question for all |
|---|
|
Some words can just get into ears while some words touch mind, heart and soul of people. Those words not just show people the mirror of truth but also the bitter reality of life. One person sharing the common story of thousands silenced the hall of South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) V during the technical session of Reaching the Unreached at the beginning just to erupt the discussion and demands to ensure right to sanitation for all, especially deliver sanitation service to the Unreached. A differently able person Amrita Gyawali-a consultant at Water Aid Nepal shared the challenges faced by the differently able person to access sanitation service and emphasized more on need on delivering the service to those unreached differently able people. SACOSAN V with the slogan "Sanitation for all: All for Sanitation" was held from 21 to 24 October in Kathmandu Nepal. "Sanitation For All: Is it really for All?" she questioned the hall full of delegates from 8 different countries and none had a confident answer in his mind. Sharing her feelings she said, "I am a wheelchair user but I do not want to be helped to go to toilet as its private matter, I want to be independent and use toilet as a dignified human." This is not just a problem of her alone but a common feeling of all the differently able and aged people who find difficulty to use existing toilets and other infrastructures Sharing her challenges and the moments of embarrassment she told, "When I was in grade one I wanted to go toilet but I could not go due to some constrains and I ended doing my pee in the class. My teacher slapped me for doing so, that day I felt bad about being wheelchair user. Complexities grew with my age but the situation has not really changed for me in case of using toilets as there are no toilets in colleges and workplace which I can use with ease." Sharing her changed perception she told, "Now I no more feel bad about being wheelchair rather I feel that there are some faults in the infrastructure of sanitation, attitude and perception of people that has not been able to include all and that has not understood that all humans are equal and they do have equal right to live their life with dignity."In Nepal there is one public toilet for 65000 people however none of those toilets are disable friendly or inclusive. She also shared that the women with disability are the most to suffer from these non inclusive toilets as they go through different natural phenomenon such as menstrual period that makes the situation more complex to the. "I do not eat food or water much while going outside to avoid going toilets. I have been embarrassed many times during my periods when I could not use bathroom and my clothes were stained with blood"? She recalled."That's why I avoid going outside for 4-5 days during my period to avoid such embarrassment though I have some important works waiting for me," she added. "I also suffer from urine infection many times and I am sick and tires of being unhealthy, I want to be healthy and independent and use toilets as the dignified citizen of the country." she further added. But is it really costly to develop the disable friendly toilets?? Answer is a big NO!!! The cost of developing inclusive toilets she told that building disability friendly toilet only costs 1-2% more than the existing ones. Inclusive toilets not mean the toilets for the physically impaired people but also for senior citizens, children, pregnant woman and non disable people too. Motivating the forum she told, " Building disable friendly toilets are not for the permanent disable people as once in life every person has to go through some form of disability due to age, accidents or natural phenomenon." "Building disables friendly toilet works for ALL," she highlighted. Raising voice on behalf of differently able people Amrita said, "I have equal right to use toilet with all dignity as a normal person with ease and independence." Being in a wheel hair is not an obstacle but inaccessibility to toilet is an obstacle – a genuinely felt reality by all at the end of her presentation. The voice she raised in the forum erupted the discussions and demand to ensure right for sanitation and reach the unreached in terms of delivering sanitation which was later addressed in the declaration of SACOSAN V. People may choose not to see the reality but they cannot hide from it, a day they will have to face it. Amrita Gyawali from Nepal showed them the reality and inspired them to face it, a true story shared at the right platform and right moment has now paved a way to ensure sanitation service for many unreached. Hats off to her and her courage to share her bitter truth and embarrassment she faced in such an important forum. Hopefully the commitments after her effort will deliver sanitation to unreached.
|
 
|
|
|
|
|
Previous : Think, Eat and save
25 Comments
nice, thank you for sharing
Posted 23-12-2013 04:00
thanks for sharing this informative report.
Posted 11-12-2013 00:09
Good..!!
Posted 06-12-2013 23:01
great.
Posted 03-12-2013 19:40
Thanks for sharing..!
Posted 02-12-2013 00:10
Nice report.
Posted 01-12-2013 20:41
theas words touch my mind.
Posted 24-11-2013 22:19
Well Written
Posted 22-11-2013 22:32
Thank you very much Prakriti. Amrita didi is in fact a youth icon for me at least. she has already inspired many decision makers in SACOSAN. I am sure her message will be carried out around the world through this forum of Tunza Eco gen.
Posted 18-11-2013 19:16
you are most Welcome Parvathy, I look forward to learn more about the sanitation service to disable people in your country, like Christy has shared about Korea...
Posted 18-11-2013 19:14
Great..she is a youth that inspires every one, she have best utilized the platform to represent the "ALL" those who are in need of sanitation.your article have carried her efforts to another platform,great work pratap.
keep continuing ur works like this...
Posted 17-11-2013 15:54
thanks a lot
Posted 15-11-2013 21:20
@Pratap, thanks for the more information. That's a great news! :D
Posted 12-11-2013 08:57
@Karuna we should be hopeful also because there are people like Amrita did who will make sure that government is accountable for development of such development in sanitation. May all her effort pay back very soon for all.
Posted 11-11-2013 13:48
@Sabina, Thanks for your comments. yes no matter how is our physical condition we have right to access to sanitation as dignified human.
After hearing her, I have become her fan and quite motivated to do sth in the field of water and sanitation
Posted 11-11-2013 13:45
@Christy, you are right, the normal problem do not have issues in using any toilets but the differently able do have some issues with the non inclusive toilets, thats really bad and in a way or the other we are depriving them for their natures call.
We are also hopeful within few years we will get to see some improvement in these toilet structures. In fact Nepal has already developed a guideline to develop disable friendly toilets, hope they will be implemented soon.
Posted 11-11-2013 13:42
@Abhishek. you missed the conference, you would have felt more strongly if you were there.
She deserves lots of respect and thanks for motivating the decision makers to commit for providing sanitation service to unreached. hopefully the commitments will be delivered soon.
Posted 11-11-2013 13:39
you are most welcome Joseph, could you please share if the sanitation situation is similar in your country
Posted 11-11-2013 13:38
you are most welcome Arushi, can you please share if there is some development about the disable friendly sanitation services in your country.
Posted 11-11-2013 13:35
it is indeed an inspiring story by Amrita didi. It takes big guts to share such embarrassment in front of all.
It is really hard to get out during periods for even average girls due to lack of women friendly toilets in Nepal, Hope the situation will change now, as the government has committed to construct inclusive toilets.
Thanks Amrita didi.
Posted 10-11-2013 08:44
thanks for sharing such an inspiring story, that motivated the decision makers to ensure commitments to deliver sanitation to the unreached. She indeed deserves a salute and she has also become a inspirational figure, I guess.
what we looking at is the a person who is differently able herself but has fought to live like an average person, and there is nothing wrong about it. she is absolutely right, every one has equal right to use sanitation service with independence and dignity.
hats off to her.
Posted 09-11-2013 12:16
tanks for the information
Posted 08-11-2013 10:20
thanks for sharing it. very well written and hats off.
Hope to learn more from you.
Posted 08-11-2013 02:52
Very nice write up , sensitive, touched my soul, thanks for sharing it .
Posted 08-11-2013 01:30
That's a really heart touching speech. We don't know the desperate feeling what the differently able people feels. But recently, my aunt got an accident and she told me that she could realize that disables friendly toilet was really needed one for many people.
In Korea like 15 years ago, not many people could think there would be many disables friendly toilet but now, except small-sized stores, they are everywhere.
Be hopeful!! :D
Posted 07-11-2013 14:38