The Power of Small Steps

There’s a new campaign in rural India, “No loo? No, ‘I do’.” Young women and their mothers are insisting that a potential groom have a toilet or there will be no wedding. Getting people to have toilets has been an uphill battle and recent efforts have failed. Now that the campaign has reached the radio as well as TV serials, it is beginning to make an impact. One reason is due to the abortion of female fetuses. Though illegal, girls are seen as a drain since eventually they will need dowries. The result is there is now more male than females and many young women are feeling empowered. Add to that the experience of those women who have access to toilets. They no longer have to get up early to go relieve themselves in open fields, or use public toilets. The in house toilets by being more sanitary also prevents many chronic urinary tract and other infections.
We think of progress as something having large impact, like computers or the automobile. But often progress is in the nitty-gritty of small things which make a large difference, its minutia being all the more inspiring and powerful.