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Toilet charity gets village to take on Trump name

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MARODA (India): A charity that provides toilets to poor Indians is leading an effort to rename a tiny northern village after President Donald Trump.

The new name, Trump Sulabh Village, is not official, so it will not appear on maps.

The charity’s name is Sulabh Internatio­nal after the Hindi word for “accessible”, which is meant to describe the simple pit toilets it builds for free across in a country that has too few.

Many of the 400 villagers said they had no idea who Trump was. But they are delighted that their village elders agreed to the promotiona­l gimmick because it also means they will receive free toilets in each of the village’s 60 or so mudbuilt houses. None of the funding for the new toilets is coming from Trump or the US.

“I don’t understand why they couldn’t name it after our own prime minister,” said constructi­on worker Sajid Hussain. Still, he’s happy for the toilet-building initiative and hopes it is followed with funding for education, electricit­y and other improvemen­ts.

For last week’s inaugurati­on, organisers coached villagers to shout zindabad! which means “long live!” each time they shouted Trump’s name.

The ceremony was staged just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to Washington, DC, for a sit-down with Trump.

The charity’s founder, Bindeshwar Pathak, acknowledg­ed that naming the village after Trump was a stunt aimed at drawing more attention – and hopefully funding – for their efforts to improve sanitation across India.

“Trump is the president of the leading nation in the world, so that’s why I chose him,” he said. – ANA-AP

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 ??  ?? A South Sudanese refugee soccer player kicks the ball during a match in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda.
A South Sudanese refugee soccer player kicks the ball during a match in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda.

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