Now I have a toilet, and I call it my freedom

“I used to feel ashamed and anxious about hiding behind the bushes while relieving myself. It was always either the wee hours of the day or late evenings, when nobody was around, but still it felt extremely awkward. Then I thought, and finally built a four-walled privacy for myself. Nothing flashy, it was just a makeshift one with stone blocks and bamboo poles. And, I call it my freedom!” says Sawitri (name changed to protect identity), a 17-year-old from a tiny Sahariya settlement in Madhya Pradesh.

A huge sense of relief mixed with a streak of confidence trickles through her smile as Sawitri continues. It’s a story that tells you how a silent revolution in the heart of Madhya Pradesh is brewing in Jatwara village of Sevakhedi Gram Panchayat under Pohri Block in Shivpuri district, and is spilling over to the adjacent villages. Within a few months of Sawitri showing the way, not less than 250 toilets made of locally available materials have sprouted in the neighbouring 15 villages, benefiting hundreds of girls and women with improved personal hygiene and regained dignity.

Sawitri’s story — particularly the punch line “I call it my freedom” — reverberates with profound self-belief and pride, as I sit to gather my thoughts on the essence and spirit of independence at the grassroots.

And, like most of the stories of change, hers too had a beginning, a middle and no end!

Life before the change

Shivpuri district, home to one of the most marginalised tribal communities in the state, has long battled poverty, malnutrition, and a lack of basic facilities. For Sahariya women and girls, the absence of toilets and bathrooms was not just an inconvenience; it was a daily compromise on dignity, health, and safety.

Relieving themselves meant venturing out at dawn or after sunset to avoid being seen. Bathing took place in the open, often just outside the house. With little privacy and a sheer lack of water for everyday use, girls and women would delay or skip baths, leading to skin rashes, itching, urinary and reproductive tract infections.

“It was not just about sanitation, but about hygiene and humiliation,” says a field worker from Vikas Samvad Samiti, a local community-based organisation supported by CRY – Child Rights and You. “Many young girls and women would stay away from drinking water after sundown or stay awake through freezing winter nights or heavy monsoon rains just to get a window to attend to nature’s call.”

There were reports of repeated outbreaks of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases, yet the conversation around sanitation remained an elephant in the room, which everybody was aware of but no one really ready to speak about.

More than a construction story

That is, until Sawitri decided to take a step. She collected stones from the nearby riverbed and erected a makeshift structure next to her house. A primitive-looking one with four walls made of stones, and the door was made of bamboo sticks to ensure privacy and dignity.

Her action made an instant impact, what many extremely well-scripted Behaviour-Change-Communication models would only have dreamt of! This practical example attracted many, and a toilet for personal use became an aspiration across her village. Within no time, 16 families in Jatwara built their own private bathing units. The women of the Sahariya community came to realise the significance of hygiene and dignity. Some even went one step further, covering the roof with thatched palm leaves. All of it was a collective effort that triggered a cascading transformation in the entire community.

“This brings us back to a healthier and more dignified life.” A woman in her 30s further adds, “Now we don’t need to wait till the late evening to go to relieve ourselves; nor do we need to spend money on medication bills”, beaming a smile. “Jo dawai dast ki goli kharidne mein jaati thi, ab usi se beti school ja rahi hai.” (The money that went to buy medicines for dysentery now can be used for our children’s education). 

The change has gone beyond building facilities. Villagers have begun sharing their experiences with others, creating awareness about the link between sanitation, health, and dignity.

Community meetings, led by Vikas Samvad Samiti, have encouraged behaviour change and highlighted the role of local governance. Panchayats, frontline workers, and government officials are now part of the conversation, helping ensure that children and adolescents can become active agents of change. And the result? Today, over 230 toilets have been built across 15 villages in Shivpuri district.

The bigger picture

There’s no denying the fact that bold government campaigns like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan have largely transformed the ground reality as they delivered over 12 crore (120 million) individual household toilets and 2.5 lakh (250,000) community sanitary complexes nationwide. But, to tell the truth, open defecation remains a glaring issue in India’s path to inclusive growth.

The government data (Swacch Survekshan Grammen Report 2023-24) highlights substantial progress in rural sanitation and waste management suggesting 95.1 per cent of the overall Indian population has access to toilets, and 76.7 per cent of public places also have access to WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) facilities.

Madhya Pradesh too made remarkable progress, with close to 90 per cent of its villages promoted to ODF (Open Defecation Free) status in 2023. According to the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 (Grameen) dashboard under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, out of 51,043 total villages, 50,772 have achieved ODF Plus status as of August 11, 2025, with 50,521 declared as ODF Plus Model villages. Out of 52 districts, 16 were identified as ODF Plus model districts.

However, inputs from many local pockets suggest that availability and access to water are one of the key challenges that impact the usage of household toilets. Many tribal settlements do not have adequate access to water, so even if there are toilets, those are not in use. Until these gaps are plugged in, the promise of inclusive development will remain uneven, and the freedom we celebrate will be incomplete.

Freedom In action

This Independence Day, the story of Sawitri and her village is a reminder that freedom is not only about big promises to make, it is also about walking the talk. For us at CRY, it is about listening to young minds and inspire them lead the way to change, because it is they who often decide that the life they have been given can change, and are ready to walk extra miles to make it happen.

Puja Marwaha is CEO, CRY – Child Rights and You

Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth