Celebrating Life

A toilet brings security to life

Eleven-year-old Janvi lives with her parents and older sister in a small village in Nagpur, Maharashtra. She studies in Std 6. After school, Janvi and her best friend Vanshika come running through the courtyard of her house and happily use the washroom.

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Janvi’s mother Sangeeta smiles as the girls discuss what they learnt in school, while she does the household chores. Four years ago, this routine was quite arduous as the family and many members of the community did not have a toilet.

Attending nature’s call was in the open, surrounded by trees, insects, and wild bushes. Janvi also worried about people hovering around when she had to relieve herself. Apart from the area not feeling secure, children were afraid of getting bitten by snakes or scorpions, and during the monsoons the roads got very mucky and messy.

To address this problem, World Vision India helped the community construct toilets outside their house. For Janvi and her sister Tanvi, having a toilet close by meant not having to walk very far in the dark or having someone accompany them all the time. They could go whenever they wanted to and at any time of the day or night.

Now, Janvi and her sister are happy and feel more safe and secure when using the toilet. Through the children’s group, Janvi also learnt correct handwashing practices so that she can exercise good hygiene.  Her family also gets safe drinking water through the facilities set up by World Vision India in the village.

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Janvi’s father Subhash and mother Sangeeta, are farmers who own a very small piece of land. Her parents also work as farm labourers from time to time. To help Subhash cultivate his own land, World Vision enabled him with a micro-irrigation unit. With this he is able to cultivate two crops due to the availability of water. Additionally, a solar light trap was also provided to bring pests under control. As a result of this, the crops are not affected and the yield is good. These small investments helped her parents earn more, which they could use for the two girl’s education.

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As a sponsored child of World Vision India, Janvi loves receiving the birthday bounce cards from her sponsor and is an active participant of the Life Skill Education for Transformation program. She is also a part of Azad Children’s Group where she learns about child rights and moral education. The Child Protection Units (CPU) have been strengthened in her community, so that children have access to a safety mechanism in times of trouble.

 “I enjoyed being a part of the Life Skill Education program in my village. Over there, I learnt to dance and learnt some value education. I also got the opportunity to play with Children’s group members,” says Janvi.

Janvi wants to study as much as she can and dreams of becoming a teacher someday. By doing so she hopes to become a good citizen of the country.

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