Challenges of living in rural India

This past month in Punjab has been especially hot (115 degrees Fahrenheit or 45 Celsius). Higher temperatures often put a strain on the finite amount of resources available in rural areas. In day to day life this means people want and should be consuming more water but because everyone wants more water, and the amount of water available actually shrinks in the summer water shortages occur. This recent month of heat has made all the interns more aware of how we perceive resources and our access to them.  To give you and idea about the daily access EduCARE interns have to resources such as water, electricity, and even cars, we challenge you to try to complete the following list below for a week:

• Spend less than 5$ USD a day
• Hand wash a full load of clothes and hang dry them
• Spend a night (minimum of 5 hours) without electricity
• Cook all your meals only on a stove top (don’t use oven or microwave)
• When you have to use the bathroom walk outside and then go back inside to use the bathroom (suppose to be like using an outhouse)
• Only eat fruits and vegetables that are in season
• Don’t use your own personal vehicle, other option can include but are not limited to: hitch-hiking, public transportation, and hitching rides with friends
• Only listen to radio channels, or watch television that is in a foreign language
• Only shower every 3 days (washing face and feet is allowed)
• When you want a hot shower take a cold shower, when you want a cold shower take a hot shower
• Don’t ever wear shorts EVER (that means in your house)
• Turn off all electronic devices when you leave a room
• After you have used a dish immediately wash it then put it away
• If its yellow let it mellow if its brown flush it down (when in the bathroom only flush solid waste)
• Don’t use any water from a tap, if you want water first fill a bucket and then use only that water.
• Don’t eat any meat, eggs, or consume any alcohol
• Don’t leave your house after 7 pm, unless you are staying at a friends house for the night
• Only use the internet every other day
• Collect all plastic trash and then sort it

- Kiana Cateriano, USA 

- Health and education project manager