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This 13-year-old is discouraging open defecation in his village in a creative way
Inspired by the total-sanitation program held in his village, 13-year-old Pradeep wanted his village to adopt total sanitation and stop open defecation. He and his gang of 10 children decided to accost open defecators spilling water that the villagers carry to wash-up after themselves.
It can be called the beginning of enlightenment, when young children decide to take matters in their own hands. Compelling village elders to construct toilets, schools, abolish child marriages, they become really compelling narratives as they are an inspiration across the nation but also a sign of percolating values of sanitation, gender equality and other social odds we have long come to be associated with.
In this scenario, the tiny hamlet of Raipur Nayakheda village, Sehore District, Madhya Pradesh, is fast becoming a beacon of good sanitation in villages. What sets this village apart is this all powerful group of youngsters called the Dabba Dol gang, the group got the epithet from its leader, 13-year-old Pradeep Mewada.
In fact, the group has had such an high impact that the NGO, Water Aid recently put out a video where Pradeep shares his experience how he picked up the importance of sanitation from NGO workers and what he faced while implementing his Dabba Dol strategy which is helping in maintaining sanitation and stopping the spread of communicable diseases.
The Modus Operandi of the "gang" is simple. At the crack of dawn the boys accost those going out to defecate in the open. Not stopping at this, they spill the water in the bottles or cans that the villagers carry with them, so that they abandon the idea of defecating in the open since they cannot wash up afterwards – hence the name "dabba dol" – literally translated in hindi – Spilling the can.
Pradeep’s Dabba Dol gang of 10 children was formed after he attended a community-led sanitation programme in his village. He was so affected that he decided to spread the message in his village with the help of his whistle bearing gang.
As always, the initial reaction of the villagers was that of shock and anger. People fought and abused them, but their determination paid off.
It is a shame that India tops the list of countries where open defecation is still widely practised. According to WHO, “India with 626 million people who practice open defecation, has more than twice the number of the next 18 countries combined.”
In an even humbling statistic, India’s sanitation levels are worse than those of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and all other lesser developed countries of the subcontinent.