Afsana, residing in Budhni town of Madhya Pradesh, is a mother to a 6-year-old daughter and an active community participant. Water and sanitation issues were prevalent in her neighborhood, motivating Afsana to take action. She participated in community meetings and training sessions that WaterAid organized, leading her to work closely with her community on waste management and cleanliness.

A strong believer in communities’ participation as the vehicle for progress, Afsana led efforts to sensitize people on the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene. Her persistent advocacy struck a chord with her neighbors and resulted in greater awareness about WASH related matters. To transform awareness into action, she also went on to collectivize a citizen's group in her neighborhood and was elected as its chairperson.

As part of her work as the Chairperson, Afsana conducted a survey to identify households which did not have access to toilets. She identified 90 such households in her neighborhood and utilized the data to collaborate with the Municipal Corporation of Budhni in building proper toilets for those 90 families and enabling them to access safe sanitation. Additionally, Afsana advocated for a water pump to be installed in her area, and her persistence paid off when the Municipal Corporation fulfilled her request. Now, the community enjoys easier access to water, whereas earlier they had to travel over half a kilometer simply to collect water.

Afsana’s story is a reminder of the pivotal role that women's leadership plays in improving sanitation and hygiene conditions in communities. Her unwavering commitment towards her community’s wellbeing has resulted in a transformative and lasting impact. Afsana continues to work towards WASH in her town and also inspires others to make positive changes in their communities.

Braving through the pandemic to enable access to the basic necessity of a community toilet, Maya Bai inspired fellow sanitation workers to undertake services with proper equipment.

Maya Bai, a dedicated resident and sanitation worker, has faithfully served the Ganj Basoda Nagar Palika Parishad in Madhya Pradesh for an impressive 35 years. Her primary responsibility involves the cleaning and maintenance of Ward 22, Chudi Mohalla, within the city.

Maya Bai's story took an extraordinary turn when the COVID-19 pandemic swept into her city, particularly affecting the residential area, Ward 22, where her team operates. As the first case emerged in this zone, it was declared a containment area, with strict restrictions preventing anyone from entering. However, the daily cleaning and maintenance of the community toilet in this ward remained a fundamental necessity.

Amidst reluctance from other sanitation workers to enter this high-risk area, Maya Bai stepped forward with remarkable courage. She volunteered for the daunting task of single-handedly maintaining the community toilet. In this critical moment, she accepted the challenge to ensure the safety of the ward's residents. Maya demonstrates how crisis service providers can end up prioritizing the continuity of their service over their own safety. It is crucial for all members of society to remember how dependent we are on them and to acknowledge their role as frontline service providers. Maya’s act of bravery earned her the gratitude of the local authorities and the admiration of the residents.

After 35 years of dedicated service, Maya Bai is set to retire this year. However, her retirement does not dampen her commitment, which is as strong as when she began her journey as a sanitation worker three and a half decades ago. Maya Bai's story exemplifies the necessity of sanitation work, and the resilience and dedication she demonstrated during challenging times. It also serves as a reminder as to how dependent we are on the services of individuals and that the safety and dignity of frontline workers should be a top-priority in cities.

Asha Pradhan is a resident of Ward No. 9 of the Budhni Nagar Parishad. Her husband, Basant Pradhan, works for a private company, and their elder son is employed as a guard in a tractor company, while their younger son is studying in the 9th grade. Asha had been volunteering with the WaterAid team from the beginning. Her husband encouraged her to work as a volunteer with the WaterAid team so that she could increase her knowledge and help the deprived community in supporting them.

Asha Pradhan, a resident of Budhni Nagar Parishad, Sehore District, Madhya Pradesh, has been volunteering with WaterAid, a non-governmental organization focused-on water, sanitation and hygiene. She started working with the team to conduct surveys for sewerage connections. The municipal area was estimated to have sewers in 3,200. However, upon completion of the survey, the team could establish only 1,020 such sewer connections. Thereafter, Asha went from house to house informing people about the benefits of sewerage connections and the processes of dealing with wastewater. She also facilitated community meetings to raise awareness and prepare people to establish connections to the sewer line. Through this campaign, connections were successfully established for about 2,470 homes.

In recognition of her dedicated efforts towards cleanliness and sanitation, the Ward No. 9 Mohalla Committee of the Nagar Parishad elected Asha as the Chairman of the Committee. She took the responsibility of ensuring cleanliness in the locality herself. Being vigilant about the cleanliness in her ward, Asha began coordinating with the Sanitary Inspector of the municipal corporation to carry out cleaning work. People from the community began to approach Asha, with their concerns rather than going to their elected representative, confident that she can provide help resolve them.

Asha’s tireless efforts extend beyond cleanliness and sanitation. She has taken it upon herself to educate women from underprivileged communities on menstrual hygiene. Asha teaches them to make pads from cloth and uses WaterAid’s educational games to educate young girls and debunk menstrual hygiene myths, which is highly commendable.

As a result of Asha's dedication, the community is benefiting from improved sanitation, access to sewer lines, and menstrual hygiene education. Open water channels that used to attract mosquitoes and garbage are no longer seen, and the dependency on the municipality to empty household toilets has been reduced. Significant improvements have been made in municipal cleanliness, and myths related to menstrual hygiene have been debunked.

Asha's selfless service has not only earned her the respect of the community but has also made her family very proud. Her efforts are a shining example of how individuals can make a significant difference in their community by taking responsibility and working towards a common goal.