Faith leaders can help push Swachh Bharat
With their vast influence and reach, they can spread the message of sanitation far and wide
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is in full swing but even after three years, the main problem seems to be in motivating people to use the toilets. Faith-based organisations (FBO) that work with local communities can play a key role in convincing people to use toilets. FBOs such as Islamic Relief, Art of Living, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) andEcoSikhthat are already playing a critical role in sanitation projects . With their influencing power, outreach capabilities, and scalable presence in marginalised communities, their involvement has led to behavioural change. These organisations have also helped in executing the project at the ground level, along with technical support.
At the India Sanitation Coalition’s Annual Conclave in April, Swami Saraswati (GIWA) said, “Before you go to meditation, you need sanitation. If you don’t go to the toilet, you can’t focus on meditation.” Akmal Shareef from the Islamic Relief emphasised how the five pillars of Islam guide devotees towards cleanliness, toilet use and hand washing.
During the 2016 Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Madhya Pradesh, WASH (Water, Sanita- tion and Hygiene) was taken up as a significant social cause. Hoardings exhorted people to desist from defecating in the open. The mass awareness campaign had prototypes of toilet technologies, information kiosks and exhibitions, as well as puppet shows on sanitation issues.
During religious gatherings at Haridwar and elsewhere, GIWA promotes the use of toilets. It also approaches the question of caste in a definitive manner, and in recent events have had sanitation workers eating together with saints and gurus – to break the taboos around untouchability. Art of Living has conducted more than 48,000 hygiene camps and 23,000 medical camps. In West Bengal, Ramakrishna Mission Lok Shiksha Parishad supported Rural Sanitary Marts. Due to these efforts, the coverage of households by sanitary toilets in the district increased from 4.74% in 1991 to 45% by 2001.
Though many documented cases exist of the work that FBOs are doing in building assets within communities, empirical analysis is limited with the bulk of the literature being descriptive rather than qualitative. Behaviours do not exist in a vacuum; they are a result of our beliefs and experiences. Faith has a tremendous role in dealing with social taboos and norms. One of the best ways to address issues of sanitation is to bring faith leaders and communities to work together against a common enemy: WASH.