Sparrow Sanitation

‘I think consensus is a poor substitute for leadership’ Charlotte Beers

The Possibility Project, with the on-going help of our collaborators, is dedicated to creating innovativesolutions to ‘social’ problems. Our Sparrow Sanitation program with I-India is aimed at addressing ‘water slavery’- where people either lack or are denied access to safe and adequate infrastructure for proper sanitation and hygiene conditions, severely limiting their opportunities for a dignified life.

The mobile shower bus, at only 2 cents a person, providing safe water and  sanitary hygiene education for slum communities.

The statistics may make this human rights abuse feel insurmountable – with an estimated 2.5 billion people lacking access to improved sanitation (more than 35% of the world’s population). Scarce and dirty water and lack of a toilet and proper hygiene kill 3.3 million people annually; which includes around 4500 children under the age of 5 each day. While the ‘consensus’ may be that this situation is hopeless, we at The Possibility Project choose to act otherwise. We are actively implementing a program that reflects ‘inspired leadership’ on this problem and the results are game changing!

Deepak  and Tulsi (  former street children, nurtured by I-India), attending AAKAR Innovations training program – learning the process of sanitary pad manufacturing.

One of our most exciting developments for 2015 is the establishment of a low-cost, 100% biodegradable, energy efficient sanitary pad enterprise that is owned and managed by I-India and their co-workers through Ladli social enterprise. Inspired leadership transforms problems, by this we mean we must address all root causes of the inequalities that exist for all human beings. Sanitary health is not a female only issue, it should not necessarily be approached as a ‘gender’ issue either, so we are proud that Deepak and Tulsi, both former street children and now a married couple – are leading the way with the Sparrow Sanitation program as a united force, demonstrating that we must encourage and include all people in the improvement of sanitary health.

If we are to solve our problems, we must nurture this sense of ‘relatedness’ with each other and towards our problems. Our program is based on finding our relatedness through connecting to a ‘common wisdom’ we all have. We believe there is great potential in every problem when looked at in a different ‘light’, that everybody is resource-full, all individuals have something of worth to offer and that when we act with an attitude of service towards others, we can drastically change our world for the better. When we tap into this common wisdom we gain a tremendous boost in our belief that we have the ability to respond (or responsibility) to solve our problems.

The above are financial breakdowns for our sanitary pad machine, when viewed through ‘common wisdom’ it demonstrates the power of inspired leadership. These notes were written by Deepak, I-India have nurtured him for many years, rescuing him and Tulsi from a life of immense abuse.They are a testimony of what individuals are capable of when we decide to stop judging what ‘consensus’ says is possible. Most of us get trapped into thinking that our problems, failures and fears can somehow stop us from doing what we want or need to do. Yet the social entrepreneurs we work with in Jaipur demonstrate quite the contrary – showing us it is not what happens to us but how we choose to respond that creates our future.

‘In matters of the imagination, the most unworthy pieces turn out to be the most creative. The stone that builders reject becomes the cornerstones’ Moore.

The I-India team have opened us to an inspired mindset that creates solutions to our problems using the resources we already have within ourselves. It requires ‘imagination’ – without a doubt! Deepak and Tulsi, who were once rejected and abandoned children, are now the ‘cornerstone’ of Sparrow Sanitation. Deepak will oversee operations, whilst Tulsi, who has trained as a nurse, will oversee the education aspect that must go with any sanitation program. Together they will lead many others into a more empowered life. We feel privileged to be able to share their leadership insights to people in our community.

For more information on how you can support the Sparrow Sanitation program, purchase our products or book us to speak on ‘inspired leadership’, we warmly invite you to contact us.

Why the sparrow?

The common house sparrow is incredibly resourceful, building their homes with whatever materials they can find. They remind us that we do not have to be big and beautiful to be worthy, we do not have to have the loudest voice to be heard, the sparrow is always ‘actively’ working towards well-being, and they derive power and protection by their numbers.In so many  ways this common bird represents the spirit of the incredible human beings that live below poverty line and in conditions that no human being should. Her lesson is to use ‘creativity’ to get around in life. We hope to share these lessons with many, to solve our common problems.