Toilet charity gets Indian village to take on Trump name
MARODA, India — A charity that provides toilets to poor Indians is leading an effort to rename a tiny northern village after President Donald Trump, saying the gesture is meant to honour relations with the U.S. and draw support for better sanitation in India.
The new name, Trump Sulabh Village, is not official, and so will not appear on maps. The charity’s name is Sulabh International after the Hindi word for “accessible,” which is meant to describe the simple pit toilets it builds for free across a country that has too few.
Many of the 400 villagers said they had no idea who Trump is. But they are delighted that their village elders agreed to the promotional gimmick because it also means they will receive free toilets in each of the village’s 60 or so mud-built houses. None of the funding for the new toilets is coming from Trump or the U.S.
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t name it after our own prime minister,” said construction worker Sajid Hussain. Still, he’s happy for the toilet-building initiative and hopes it is followed with funding for education, electricity and other improvements.