So we went to India. Not as charity workers, but to observe and learn. We soon learned that the most basic problem in India is poor sanitation. People defecate on the ground, flies pick up cholera, typhoid, hepatitis and dysentery germs which they transmit to exposed food; and heavy rains wash the same germs into village wells and other water supplies.
Government toilet blocks are not used because people will not flush them for fear of being labelled sanitation workers. These 'untouchables' suffer lifelong social ostracism. Consequently, despite the fact that there are millions of Indians looking for work, we have never received a single complaint about taking jobs away from Indians when we have cleaned toilets!
We have discovered other jobs: wells that could be dug; blocks of land that could be planted; streets that could be cleaned; drains that could be cleared. But all of these are the jobs of the lowest castes.
It is easy to blame Hinduism for the situation. But Christian missionaries have contributed to the problem by winning many of their converts from the lowest castes and then giving them jobs in Christian factories, etc. Christian and Hindu leaders alike seem unprepared to soil themselves by volunteering for this most needful work.
We need many more volunteers. Indians themselves are starting to come forward; but we need more Westerners who will use their privileged social positions to challenge the myth that cleaning toilets degrades people. Indian toilet cleaners face the same health risks that we face, but they also face lifelong rejection by their own people. It is important that we stand by those who are willing to pay such a price.
For us it is important that the team working in India stress the need to work for love rather than for money, lest we degenerate into yet another political tool of corruption. Our high standards keep our membership figures low, but they also keep our goals clear.
However, we do encourage interested individuals to spend time living and working with us as visitors if they want to gain a fuller picture of our life-style and what we hope to accomplish. Interested individuals should contact us for further details.