For Suba Rai, having a toilet at home was considered a luxury. Having to survive on farming and daily labor, he could not even dream of building a toilet for his family.
He was not alone; the other 150 poor families in his village in Sikkim also had no toilets. Many of them would wait for the night to fall as they had no option but to go out in the open to relieve themselves. Due to the lack of sanitation facilities, the surroundings were not clean and this resulted in spread of diseases in the village.
When Believers Eastern Church constructed toilets in the village, Suba Rai also got a toilet. When he received the new sanitation facility, his joy knew no bounds, for the toilet not only was sturdy, but also had light connection.
Today, Suba and his family no more have to venture out in the night to attend nature’s call and the sanitation facilities constructed in the village have also made the village clean and free of diseases.