Girls are the core of our society. Unfortunately, girls dignity is at stake. We know children, especially girls, are the future of any country. But, the future is bleak for them if they do not get a proper education. Girls in India drop out of school for a number of reasons. But in many cases, these reasons are directly related to lack of sanitation facilities and unhygienic toilets at their schools.
Young 16 year old Aisha dreams of becoming a doctor. She goes to her school but cannot drink water all day. She is thirsty and dehydrated. She ends up dropping out of school. Why? Because there are no toilets in her school. Now she will not be able to become a doctor. Imagine how many people she could have served in her lifetime if she became a doctor.
Stories like hers are now common in many schools in India today. A lack of toilets in schools is causing young girls to drop out of school. Can you imagine? A young girl with a dream to become a doctor and help others, and we can’t help her fulfill it?
When one girl is not educated, this means her entire family is also uneducated. Many of these families create an entire village of uneducated people. Villages like that create an entire nation. Our nation’s dignity is at stake. We must help our Motherland.
The problem with this lack of toilets goes much deeper. It is a question of women’s dignity. Women are humiliated every single day. They are being mentally destroyed. They have to hold their needs for a whole day until dawn the next day. Today, we can run to the bathroom which would be found right around the corner. But in India, the nearest toilet would be about 2 to 3 miles away! What happened to gender equality? Women are being degraded every day.
We must get together and help our dear sisters in India. I have started a movement to build 500 toilets in India. I am achieving this through my organization Purple Paint. This is a herculean task but, instead of doing nothing I am taking one small step to make a change. Purple Paint has partnered with Sewa to provide the toilets. Recently someone asked me if I could do such a big thing. Absolutely! I know I can do it! I can do it with the help of each and every one of you. I need you to walk right beside me and together, we can make a difference.
Here are a few progress pictures of the toilets being built in India…
Art Exhibit & Silent Auction
On August 13, 2019, Purple Paint organized an Art Exhibition and Silent Auction. To prepare for this event, I spent my entire summer vacation creating paintings. I had 48 paintings on display. 35 of those paintings were successfully auctioned and sold. I was able to raise over $10,000 through this effort. I plan to organized more Art Exhibitions, Silent Auctions or other type of fund raising events in future. I am counting on support from each and everyone of you to take this movement forward. We must bring smiles on the faces of thousands of girls.
Our progress so far is about $50, 000. Although this number seems small, that is 1 step out of 10. None more steps to go! We would not have been able to do this without our supporters. They are the backbone of this project. They are the reason We are able to help our sisters in India. I want to give a genuine thank you from the bottom of my heart to the people who have supported me and my cause. They have not only helped me but also the girls in India who have been suffering greatly. Because of them, someone else will have a better life worth living.