Sulabh International

Sulabh International is an Indian based social service organization which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education. The organization counts 50,000 volunteers.

Sulabh was founded by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak in 1970. Innovations include a scavenging-free two-pit pourflush toilet ("Sulabh Shauchalaya"); safe and hygienic on-site human waste disposal technology; a new concept of maintenance and construction of pay-&-use public toilets, popularly known as Sulabh Complexes with bath, laundry and urinal facilities being used by about ten million people every day and generates biogas and biofertiliser produced from excreta-based plants, low maintenance waste water treatment plants of medium capacity for institutions and industries. Other work includes setting up English-medium public school in New Delhi and also a network of centres all over the country to train boys and girls from poor families, specially scavengers, so that they can compete in open job market.

The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements has praised Sulabh's sanitation system as a global 'Urban Best Practice' at the Habitat-II conference held at Istanbul (Turkey), in June, 1996Fact|date=February 2007. The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations granted Special Consultative Status to Sulabh in recognition of its work.

Sulabh claims their plan on human waste disposal and social reforms has provided jobs directly to 35,000 people, and has created 10,000,000 (1 crore) mandays, making 240 towns scavenging free.Fact|date=February 2007

Sulabh has established coordination with various national and international agencies, including British Council, USAID, BORDA, a German organisation, Commission of European Union, Belgium, GERES, France, CEEIC, HRIEE, China and Haskoning and Euroconsult, a Dutch firm.

Sulabh found mention in page 124 of the Human Development Index report for 2006. Sulabh was commended for bringing sanitation to the poor in India.Fact|date=February 2007

In October 2007, Sulabh announced the design of a cheap toilet system that recycles human waste into biogas and fertiliser.

References

External links

* [http://www.sulabhinternational.org/pg02.htm Sulabh International]
* [http://www.energyinternational.org Energy International - NGO which constructs sulabh shauchalaya in rural and urban areas internationally]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-720820155715499773&hl=en Documentary on Sulabh: Scavenging Freedom] , Total Running Time: 43 mins
* [http://poopthebook.com/blog/2007/10/10/sanitary-visionary/ The Sanitary Visionary and Me (a profile of Sulabh and Bindeshwar Pathak)]