She is the One!

Khina Maya Tamang, 45

She is from Dagapela and lives at Walakha (2.5 Kilometres away from Khuruthang Vegetable Market and the Public Toilet). She has a child and earns around 6450/- per month and her last month's salary is yet to receive. She sweeps the entire vegetable market area and also looks after the only public toilet at Khuruthang. It almost takes a week for her to sweep the entire market. Sometimes she finds it unmanageable when vegetable vendors starts coming in for the weekend sale before Saturday.  

Maintaining the only public toilet all by herself is also difficult. She can't help but helplessly watch as people come in and go out of the toilet. She watches them helplessly for she can speak no more than a word or two at a go for she suffers from speech impediment. Her ability to hear is also very low. Tears fills her eyes when she narrates how people as if like animals uses sticks and stones instead of water (for there is continuous flow of water in taps). Sometimes people refuses to pay her after using the toilet. The money that she gets are used to feed her family and also to buy the toilet materials. Whenever, she bring in new toilet accessories, people simply take away without any shame. So she is left with no choice but to rely on old torn jerry cans to collect water, which people hardly uses to flush after their visit.

Today I went to complete our task and to meet her. I couldn't meet her the other day (15/11/2015) while we were all there cleaning her toilet. She is all smiles as I gave her a frooti juice and handed over the toilet. She promised me now she is inspired and would try her best to keep the toilet clean and shiny. Before I left her, she asked me to appeal to the general public: 'to be more sensible, responsible while using the toilet'. She begs everyone of us to help her keep our (public) toilets clean and shiny. If we can do that, she says with a smile around the curves of her doma stained lips, "Mo Khushi Huuncha" (I will be Happy)...and giggles behind her cupped hands.

A note to remember: 

"A Toilet is USED by ONE and by ALL

It's universal to ANSWER the CALL

So please USE Water.

Say NO to STICKS and STONES!"