Children Deserve It All

“Cleanliness is not a luxury, but a necessity”

The fundamental thought that drove our WASH campaign as a child rights organisation. It is indeed a necessity for children to thrive and grow in a clean environment to catch up with the fast-paced world. They deserve a clean environment, for it's not them who had a say in degrading the environment for rapid urbanisation, nor are they responsible for the circumstances they are born in…but they bear, they bear the consequences that these aspects have led to!

So, CRY came up with a campaign that could take the idea and motive behind sanitation and hygiene to people and that is how the WASH campaign was brought alive. 

During one of the campaign visits, many families confided into the team about their surroundings, and out of them one happened to be a village in Faridabad, Haryana. Heaps of garbage had flocked in the area due to a sewer blockage and that led the garbage to spill across the road causing severe traffic issue. 

Rohit, one of the residents of the village had filed a complaint about the overflowing sewage in front of his house. The ill odour had also led to breeding of mosquitoes and flies that were now entering his house. What made it worse was that his 6 months old daughter had fallen ill due to the filthy surroundings. After days of illness, he managed to take his daughter to the Doctor and he was advised to not take his daughter outside given the situation around. 

Rohit was disheartened and he questioned at times to himself about the kind of society he was looking forward to bringing up his daughter in. A place where stepping out of the house became detrimental to his daughter’s health!

Rohit decided to give his complaint a written update and wrote to the workers but again no heed was paid. He lost all his hope, but the children of the village, enrolled at the Child Activity Resource Centre (CARC) did not. They took it up to the team during the campaign visit. They told the team about the difficulties they were facing, making it impossible for them to walk and play. Considering the issues children were facing, the team along with children’s parents as well as other community members took the issue to Municipal Corporation through a letter.

And finally with children at the centre and parent’s support behind them, their words were paid heed to. The Sanitary Inspector also interacted with the children, all ears to their curious questions about the cleaning process and time. 

Following children’s and community efforts, Municipal Corporation carried out a deep sewer cleaning operation using a machine, removing all the debris that clogged it. Adding to it, a large sewer chamber was also constructed to prevent any future spillage of sewage onto the streets. 

This transformed the region completely! Not only were the children able to play after sewer cleaning, but residents like Rohit were also able to look forward to a cleaner surrounding for their babies to grow in. That is the power the campaign and children’s advocacy hold! Some courageous children who refused to accept their prevailing circumstances as their future, some parents who chose to stand by these children, and an organisation that knew why WASH is significant; together transformed the reality.