Women Heroes For A Swachh Bharat Converge For World Water Day
March 23, 2017
Rishikesh—A unique World Water Day celebration brought together and honoured Sanitation Ambassadors and Heroes from nearby villages and urban slums who have worked towards making their local communities and water bodies free from open defecation and pollution.
The Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA), under the inspiration and guidance of its co-founder HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji has been training people in slums and villages on how to lead their own communities towards a Swachhta Kranti or Clean Revolution. GIWA has been doing so through its array of courses, offered through its World Toilet College, as well as outreach, through its WASH on Wheels programme and Women for WASH initiative. The Divine Shakti Foundation has been supporting this work by GIWA closesly and providing its grassroots networks to strengthen these efforts.
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji, President of DSF said: “Water is Life — life for our bodies, life for our planet and life for all of creation with whom we share this beautiful planet. Water has always been linked to the divine feminine- the Shakti- life-giving element, hence why we call our River Ganga as Mother Ganga. However, today tragically in India water is becoming a source of death and disease rather than a source of life, due in large part to rampant open defecation. That is why on World Water Day we are celebrating the work being done to build toilets and empower local communities in sanitation and hygiene.” Pujya Swamiji also emphasized, “Now is the time for all of us to become Swachhta Krantikaris (Clean Revolutionaries), so that, together, we can realize a vision for clean and green Mother India and Mother Ganga”.
