Girish Agrawal, a Calgary resident, has dedicated his summit at Mt. Kilimanjaro towards reforming India’s lacking sanitation
Although India’s struggle with equipping itself with proper sanitation facilities has been in existence for decades, it was only until recently that the dilapidating issue received its deserved attention.
While speaking at Impact Conclave 2016, Vandana Mehra, regional communication specialist at World Bank India, stated that presently India is lagging 32 years behind in attaining its sanitation goal. “World Bank study shows that there is a gap of Rupee 2.5 trillion in sanitation cost in India. Twenty-three percent of girls drop out of school only because they don’t have toilets. Over 60 percent of the population defecates in the open. The number is alarming,” Mehra said.
The issue has inflated to conceive active running campaigns such as No Toilet, No Bride which urges females to refuse marriage proposals unless the male’s household accommodates an indoor toilet.
The appalling facts were enough to motivate Girish Agrawal, a Financial Advisor in Calgary to dedicate his summit at Mt. Kilimanjaro towards building toilets in India. “The school doesn’t have a toilet system. What happens with girls when they get into teenage life [is that] they need the facility even more. [So] either they face sexual harassment or their parents stop sending them to school. So just because of not having toilets, girls are unable to continue with their education.”
Without any experience of mountain climbing, on February 29, 2016, Agrawal scaled the highest peak in Africa and raised awareness about the issue in a region where the subject was either alien or perceived with minimal attention. Therefore, for Agrawal to pledge to raise $250,000 CAD was just as daring as completing the summit itself. However, with the tremendous support from individuals in Canada and India, Agrawal has managed to raise almost $175,000.
What led Agrawal to pursue Summit for Dignity were unfortunate events in his personal life. Following his father’s demise in 2003, Agrawal lost his two sons to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SID). Agrawal explains, “In 2005 we had our baby who passed away after 10 days, in 2006 we had our second baby who passed away after eight months. Then my wife went through depression in 2007 because of the losses. In 2008, the financial market plummeted, so my life was giving me so many challenges that if I could survive those challenges, [then] that itself was more than victory.”
Talking about his experience at Mt. Kilimanjaro, the brave hearted says it has impacted him in two ways. First and foremost, the summit’s association with the cause has brought Agrawal gratification in utilizing his abilities for the wellbeing of others. Second, the climb, which is known for its spiritual trait, left an enlightening effect on Agrawal. “I am definitely going to share my realizations with my clients and do my best to spread happiness which has been my real goal for life.”
The mountaineer’s target of $250,000 will provide efficient toilet systems in 100 schools throughout India. This brings down the cost of a single toilet system to fall between $2500-$3000 CAD. And to make the most out of this initiative, Agrawal has associated himself with the Aga Khan Foundation, that is already running a $35 million project in India with the aim of providing toilets for 700,000 individuals including schools. If this is a cause that you could like to support, please make a donation towards Girish Agrawal’s initiative via the Aga Khan Foundation here.