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Rekha Devi, aged 35, is a sanitation worker, living in Krishna Nagar, Unnao in India with 5 members in her family. She is the only earning women in her family and the entire family members are dependent on her income for daily living.

She has attended the day-long capacity building training program on COVID-19 and WASH Rights organized by Pratinidhi / MARI targeting sanitation workers and field staff of Hangar Paalika. The training program was aimed for quality execution of water supply and sewerage works in urban centers. After the training from Pratinidhi/MARI, improved hygiene behaviors like wearing a hand glove during the execution of sewage works was observed.

Earlier, during the coronavirus pandemic, along with her other sanitation workers had to faced lots of challenges. They had to visit different cantonment zone for collecting garbage regularly but without PPE kit, hand sanitizers, masks and gloves. She recalled, government has not provided us with enough PPE and hand sanitizers, not even a pair of gloves and masks. The government has provided PPE kit and sanitizer for just one time, she added. She said that she has purchased masks and gloves by herself to be safe from possible infection. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules, 2013, (under section 4 and 5 of the rules) mandates that the person getting the job done must provide workers with ‘protective gear’.

I have lots of work load from the community and as well from my family. And as a contractual employee, I just receive IRs 9000.00 in a month with a condition to deduct in case of leave, she complained. Meeting household expenses has been her big challenge and she is looking forward to received increased payment and other facilities from the state government.