It’s deeply embarrassing to relieve ourselves in the surrounding fields

Lalitha Nadarajan obtained a loan two years ago to construct a toilet. Today, the toilet she constructed is a role model for all houses in her village of Viramanipatti in Tiruchi district. Viramanipatti is located some 38 kilometres from the city of Tiruchi. Lalitha’s house is located a little away from the village’s centre. Lalitha was feeding her infant daughter and her husband had just returned from his day’s labour when we arrived at their house for a visit. They wasted no time in showing us the toilet and bathroom they had constructed with the help of the loan. They had given careful thought to constructing the toilet, using blue ceramic tiles for the floor and blue and white tiles for the walls. One look at the toilet, and it was clear that Lalitha had taken great care to maintain it with the highest standard of cleanliness. “In addition to causing diseases, it’s deeply embarrassing to relieve ourselves in the surrounding fields,” Lalitha’s husband explained why they opted for a loan to construct a toilet. “A toilet must be a part of every home. The loan amount was only Rs.10,000 but we dipped into our savings to build a well-planned and easy-maintenance toilet. Besides, our children must lead healthier lives too,” was Lalitha's take on the need for a toilet. They have two young children – a boy who is attending lower kindergarten and a little girl just two years old. The water.org mark on the toilet wall piqued my curiosity. “They funded the installation of our water connection,” Lalitha’s husband informed me. I was gladdened to see that Lalitha and her family had seized every opportunity from availing a loan from Milaap to coordinating with an international agency to create a healthier future for their family.