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Fight-free water
Mrs. Sandhya Khandekar of Sadar is a housewife in India who was facing many problems because of water. She had to fetch water from the neighbors, which was not sufficient for her family’s needs. This often led to fights with the neighbors, leaving Sandhya constantly upset. Fetching this water also delayed her housework. In turn, she could not spend proper time with her kids and other family members. One day, staff from Water.org and its local partner organization, ESAF, visited Sandhya’s community and informed her about the opportunity to apply for a WaterCredit loan through a Self-Help Group* for a household water connection. After completing the loan process, she got her own water connection. Now she is very happy as she now has more time to spend with her children, is managing all of the household tasks properly, and has good relations with the neighbors again.
A toilet can change behavior
Mrs. Shalu Godghate is a self-help group member of ESAF. One day, ESAF staff visited her self-help group and introduced the concept of watsan (water and sanitation) credit, asking the self-help group members, “How many of you would like to have toilets and water connections in your house?” Shalu was among those who raised their hands. She said she wanted to have a toilet but did not think she could afford one. She said that many times her daughter got infections from defecating in the open. ESAF staff helped her to get a WaterCredit loan for a toilet in her house and she was able to solve her family’s sanitation problems! Now everybody in her house is using the toilet.
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Water at the doorstep
Mrs. Rekha Nandeshwar was facing problems from walking long distances every day to collect her family’s drinking water. She was irritated by this daily chore because she was pregnant. Due to her financial situation, she had lost hope that she could solve this problem. Rekha, a member of Khusi Self-Help Group of Pardi Branch, learned about the WaterCredit loans through Water.org’s local partner organization Nirmal Jeevan Dhara (NJD). The NJD staff educated her self-help group about the WaterCredit loan option and mobilized the group to obtain safe water and sanitation. Rekha applied for a loan. After completing the process, she received a water connection at her doorstep. She is very happy as this solves her problem of fetching water from far away and having to leave her child at home. Now she is a WaterCredit advocate, motivating others in the community to participate in the loan program and improve their health and lives through water and sanitation connections.
*These loans made possible by support from PepsiCo Foundation.
*Self-Help Group: a group of 8-10 women whose purpose is to come together to address development issues and issues in their community. The women must meet certain criteria to be a member of the group (i.e. responsible, saving money, leader in the community, etc.). Women are trained on health and hygiene issues, take out loans as a group, and educate others in their community. Often, they become leaders in their community for these development initiatives. Micro-lending activities are common within these groups because of the social collateral and shared group responsibility for a loan.
This story is part of our Giving Thanks: Story of the Day series that will run through the end of 2009. There are countless reasons to celebrate clean water and we want to bring you some of the first-hand accounts of its life-saving, life-changing impact for those we serve around the globe. We invite you to join us and give thanks, give water, give life.
