Chandana Teja was worried about a neglect of menstrual hygiene and the potential for dengue fever and malaria for the community folk

In the peak heat of May when the sun was dipping into the horizon, interior designer Chandana Teja sat at her balcony in Kondapur with her husband over cups of coffee. In their line of sight was an expansive lake lined by trees. But it wasn’t just the beauty of the view which caught the creative’s eye; the slums near the lake had her attention. 250 people, of which about 45 were children, were living with no basic sanitary amenities.

Chandana wanted to do something and she was worried about the upcoming rainy climate exposing the children and their parents to dengue, malaria and water-borne diseases. The WhatsApp forwards and Facebook posts floating around about pollution and poverty were nothing more than slacktivism.

The 29-year-old recalls, “I first filed a complaint through the My GHMC app which was totally ineffective. Eventually, I became so disturbed by it that my husband and I decided to use our own money (₹80,000) to build some amenities. I’d done some research on what was needed for that specific area and locality. We couldn’t use a permanent structure, so portable washrooms were finalised. My husband, who works in the construction field, guided me through the process.”

Chandana Teja speaking to the slum community

Over the next few months, Chandana gained a rapport with the slum community as well as their community leader Nagu Rao. They were all excited about the new facilities that were being offered with no strings attached. But it wasn’t just friendly chatter; she spoke to young girls about the value and methods of menstrual hygiene too.

When the two portable washrooms were set up just last week, Nagu Rao told Chandana that the community will see to the daily maintenance of the washrooms by setting up a rotation-based chores service within their own group. “A lot of the children go to the local public schools,” points out Chandana, “so they’re excited to have that responsibility. They’re all so sweet and welcoming of the lessons. I’d also bought a couple of 1000 litre water tanks which must be filled daily.”

A thumbs-up with Chandana Teja and the slum community

For this project, In May, Chandana linked up with We Can Make A Change, a civic duty organisation run by Karthik Pallam. She praises them, “I love the work they do; because they have done their research and aren’t doing work just to temporarily solve an issue; they’re addressing it from the root cause and thinking long-term. I want to work with the same slum community and speak about eco-friendly practices and other socially-conscious things.”