The “We Speak Too by Sanitation Workers” event is back for its 6th and final edition! This multi-city seminar series foregrounds the voices of sanitation workers from across the value chain to share their stories, challenges, and experiences with a diverse audience.

Organised by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, the session in Delhi promises to be just as engaging as the previous seminars held in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Dehradun, Bhopal, and Patna.

About the Session
This event centred around the theme “Our Rights, Our Recognition,” features five sanitation workers from Delhi who shared their professional and personal challenges and aspirations. The session is moderated by Ms Shalini Sinha, Asia Strategic Lead, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO).

The panellists of the event are:
Jahani Begum – a door-to-door waste collector
Fatima Bibi – a public toilet caretaker
Jagruti Devi – a waste picker
Sonu – a contractual worker
Ved Prakash Bighel – former labour union president

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from these inspiring individuals on the theme “The City and Us: Our Rights, Our Recognition” and be a part of the conversation about how we can better support sanitation workers in their critical roles.

Date: Saturday, 16th September 2023
Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Venue: Theatre Kunzum, M60, Third Floor
M Block Market, Greater Kailash – II
New Delhi 110048

This “We Speak Too” seminar was held in September 2023.
You can watch the live recording here.

Join us for the fifth edition of “We Speak Too, by Sanitation Workers” in Patna!

This multi-city seminar series foregrounds the voices of sanitation workers from across the value chain to share their stories, challenges, and experiences with a diverse audience. Organised by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, this month’s event in Patna promises to be just as engaging as the previous seminars held in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Dehradun, and Bhopal.

About the Session
Our moderator is Dr Madhurima Raj, a journalist and academic who has worked extensively on UNICEF’s child rights advocacy initiatives. She holds a doctorate in Women’s History from Patna University and has worked in various academic and development institutions across northern India for over a decade. Dr Madhurima Raj aims to support governments in developmental planning and capacity building on WASH.

Hear from our panellist Kalowati Devi, a solid waste segregator who handles waste, including diapers and sanitary pads, with bare hands due to the lack of protective gear.

Krishna Ram, a blockage removal worker, and Kusum Devi, a community toilet caretaker, will also share their experiences of working in challenging conditions with minimal support.

We will also hear from Rafiqul Islam, who left his home in Assam after a devastating flood and now works as a wastepicker to support his family. Salma Khatun, a street sweeper with the municipal corporation, will speak about her 15 years of employment without sick leave or medical coverage.

Lastly, Binod Ram, a sewage maintenance worker, and Vidya Ram, a desludging operator with the Municipal Corporation, will provide insights into the difficult work they do to keep the city running smoothly.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from these inspiring individuals on the theme “The City and Us: Social Protection,” and be a part of the conversation about how we can better support sanitation workers in their critical roles.

Date: Saturday, 29th April 2023
Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Venue: Conference Hall, Bihar Industries Association
Industry House, Sinha Library Road
Patna, Bihar 800001

Do share this invite with your friends and colleagues who may be interested in joining the session!

This “We Speak Too” seminar was held in April 2023.
You can watch the live recording here.

Committed to furthering the Water Action Agenda, the IIHS-led TNUSSP is hosting two virtual side events at the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in association with partner organisations.

Side Event 1: SDG 6.2 – A Pipe Dream Without a Professional Sanitation Workforce
Date: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Time: 8 AM to 9.30 AM EDT (New York) | 5.30 PM to 7.00 PM IST

Side Event 2: Localising SDGs, Accelerating Urban Wash: Lessons from A Large-scale Implementation Programme In Tamil Nadu, India
Date: Thursday, 23 March 2023
Time: 8 AM to 9.30 AM EDT (New York) | 5.30 PM to 7.00 PM IST

Visit our conference webpage to know more

The joint 21st AfWASA International Congress and Exhibition and the 7th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference was held from February 19 to 23, 2023 at Abidjan with the theme of: Acting for Sustainable Resource Management and Access to Water and Sanitation Services for all in Africa. Members of the TNUSSP team presented their work and learnings at the conference across various themes. The Abstracts be accessed below:

• Tracking de-sludging vehicles through axle load sensor
• Governance Mechanisms for Shared FSM Services: Intricacies of Implementation Across Local Bodies in Tamil Nadu, India
• Wellbeing and Occupational Health and Safety of Sanitation Workers in Trichy

IIHS-TNUSSP is back with the fourth edition of the We Speak Too seminar, and you are invited!

A multi-city series of curated seminars – “We speak too, by Sanitation Workers,” co-organised by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and the Alliance of Indian Waste Pickers, provides a platform for sanitation workers playing various roles in various urban contexts to come together to narrate their stories, challenges, and experiences for diverse audiences.

The seminar series was previously held in Bangalore, Mumbai and Dehradun and this time we’re bringing this unique session to the City of Lakes – Bhopal!

Meet The Panelists
Asha Paul – Ragpicker
Baji Bai – Ragpicker
Dilip Maruti Sendy – Community Toilet Caretaker
Harilal Balmiki – Sewage Maintenance Worker
Jyoti Ingale – Solid Waste Segregator
Kamlesh Balmiki – Sewage Maintenance Worker
Sunil Dawade – Blockage Removal Worker

Join us as we bring forth the voices of these seven sanitation workers and understand aspects of their lives from their own perspective on the theme “The City and Us: Transitions.”

Date: Friday, 3rd February 2023
Time: 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Venue: Auditorium, Bhopal School of Social Sciences
Near Habibganj Naka, Opposite DRM Office, Habibganj
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

This “We Speak Too” seminar was held in February 2023.
You can watch the live recording here.

Block your calendars! IIHS-TNUSSP is back with the third edition of We Speak Too, by Sanitation Workers seminar and this time it’s happening in the picturesque city of Dehradun!

The seminar series seeks to create a space for sanitation workers to tell their stories and share their aspirations. Six sanitation workers, working in different sectors, will be coming together to voice their opinions, challenges and concerns on the theme “The City and Us: In Search of Work”.

Join us at
Uttaranchal Press Club, Pant Road
Dehradun
From 11:00 am – 01:00 pm
On Saturday, 12th November 2022

The event will be followed by an interactive session between the panelists and the audience!

This “We Speak Too” seminar was held in November 2022.

You can watch the live recording here

The 2022 Water and Health Conference, organised by The Water Institute, University of North Carolina (UNC) was held from 24 – 28th October 2022 at North Carolina, US. Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)-led Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) conducted three side events and four poster presentations at the conference.

• Institutionalising periodic desludging of community and public toilets in Trichy
• Private de-sludging markets: Does a one-size approach fit all?
• Improvement of household-scale disinfection of onsite sanitation systems using chlorine tablet
• Feasibility of bacteria inoculum bio-digester model for upgrading onsite sanitation systems

A multi-city series of curated seminars – ‘We speak too, by Sanitation Workers’, co-organised by Indian Institute for Human Settlements and the Alliance of Indian Waste Pickers, provides a platform for sanitation workers playing various roles in various urban contexts to come together to narrate their stories, challenges and experiences for diverse audiences.

The first part of the seminar series was held in Bangalore, and it was a learning experience for all participants.
We are bringing this series to Mumbai this time!

Join us as we bring forth the voices of sanitation workers and understand aspects of their lives from their own perspective.

Greetings!

We’re excited to announce the first edition of the “We Speak Too, by Sanitation Workers” seminar, and you are invited!

We Speak Too is a multi-city series of curated seminars co-organised by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers. This seminar series provides a platform for sanitation workers playing various roles in the urban contexts to come together to narrate their stories, challenges and experiences for diverse audiences.

This session in Bengaluru was held in April 2022.
You can watch the live recording here.

The 42nd WEDC International Conference was held virtually from September 13 to 15, 2021. The conference serves as a platform to exchange and learn best practices and experiences. TNUSSP presented their work and learnings aligned with the conference theme ‘Equitable and Sustainable Wash Services: Future Challenges in a Rapidly Challenging World’.

Access the presentations and posters below:

• Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Approaches for FSM
• Sustainable and equitable de-sludging services: A Tamil Nadu case study
• Sanitation programme design and setup to scale FSM in Tamil Nadu
• Fecal sludge treatment plants implementation: quality assurance at scale in Tamil Nadu, India
• Challenges to co-treatment caused by grit in fecal sludge
• Identification of location of decanting station for co-treatment – learnings based on experiences from Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India
• Occupational safety of de-sludging operators/sanitation workers using hierarchy of controls

• Approach to Scale-up Co-treatment of Fecal Sludge in STPs- Case Study from Tamil Nadu, India