Toilet For Babli: A Domex Initiative

On any early morning train journeys, while the scenes of the landscape soothes our mind and heart, the sight of people defecating around railway tracks fills one with disgust. One quickly turns the eyes back into the compartment, while inwardly cursing the people for being so gross and shameless for choosing to relieve themselves out in the open. And not just these people who live around railway tracks, many of our household maids and helpers too belong in the 'defecate in the open' category and no matter how much you explain to them about the health hazards they are exposing themselves, it falls on deaf ears. Open defecation is one of the biggest concern of India. Around 597 million people defecate in the open, thereby increasing the risk of microbial contamination of water (bacteria, viruses, amoeba) which causes diseases like diarrhoea. 

Lately there has been an intensive focus on making people aware of the safety and health risks of defecating in the open. Open defecation is one of the biggest concern of India. Around 597 million people defecate in the open, thereby increasing the risk of microbial contamination of water (bacteria, viruses, amoeba) which causes diseases like diarrhoea. Here are some quick facts that illustrate how lack of sanitation impacts health - 

• Almost 28 million school children across India do not have access to school toilet facilities.
• 7 states in India (Orissa, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) account for almost 50% (13.8 million) children without access to toilet facilities in schools.
• 20% of deaths among children under-14 are due to diseases caused by poor sanitation and hygiene.
• India has the highest numbers of under-five deaths globally.
• Only 6 per cent of rural children less than five years of age use toilets.
• 443 million school days are lost every year due lack of access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. 

Besides these facts, there's another embarrassing fact adding to the Indian Open Defecation Crisis - 

626 million Indians defecate in the open - the highest number of people practising open defecation in the world.
Now how disgusting and embarrassing is this!

To deal with this -lack-of-toilets menace, leading cleaning products brand from the house of FMCG giant HUL (Hindustan Unilever Limited) has launched a large scale initiative to make villages open defacation free zones. This initiative impacts young and old who have to defecate in the open, where they are exposed to bacteria and viruses which leads to dangerous diseases like diarrhoea.

The initiative has been launched in Maharashtra and Orissa, and will gradually move to other states. In this inclusive campaign, every concerned individual can make a contribution, and that too with just a click - for every click contribution on the Domex website, the brand contributes Rs. 5 for the noble cause.

This video made for the Domex initiative too does it bit to create awareness about the hazards to open defecation - focussing on the point that toilet is not just a necessity for your beloved child, but also for million other kids like Pappu and Babli who have to defecate in the open due to lack of toilets.

You too can bring about the change in the lives of millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute Rs. 5 on your behalf to eradicate open defecation, thereby helping kids like Babli and Pappu live a dignified life. Spread the word, improve lives!

About The Domex Toilet Academy
Domex, HUL’s flagship sanitation brand, currently runs the Domex Toilet Academy (DTA) programme. Domex Toilet Academy was launched on 19th November 2013. It aims to become a sustainable and long-term solution to provide sanitation that benefits the local community and helps stimulate the local economy. The Toilet Academy makes toilets accessible and affordable, while promoting the benefits of clean toilets & good hygiene. Our effort has resulted in bringing the change in the villages of Maharashtra and Orissa and we aim to build 24000 toilets by 2015 in rural areas faced with the problem of open defecation.