How American researcher Marta Vanduzer-Snow found purpose in rural Uttar Pradesh

Saloni, a resident of Jagatpur in Uttar Pradesh, recalls how getting through a winding mud path that always got flooded during monsoons, was the primary reason for lack of education in the region.

Close to a decade later, this 20-year-old undergraduate student looks around and sees that the next generation of girls in her village has wider horizons, thanks to Marta Vanduzer-Snow, an American woman who left her country for rural Uttar Pradesh. 

In 2018, Marta founded Safalgram—Better Village Better World, a non-profit to address critical challenges in education, healthcare, sanitation, and renewable energy. Over the years, she has combined sustainable infrastructure with innovative solutions, fostering holistic development in rural communities.

Marta’s decision to leave the United States ten years ago was deeply personal. 

“The desire to contribute where people really need me; to do work that actually matters, makes a difference,” she says. Having worked in academic research, she felt something was missing. “In my journey for self-love, it felt like this work developed my self-esteem, made me a bit more likeable. I took to heart the story of the Buddha’s life and how important it is for all individuals to leave their ‘castles’ to learn from the world.”

Developmental needs and solutions

When Marta arrived in rural India, she observed a web of interconnected issues and how each affects the other; lack of toilets affecting the school-going ratio of girls, or the absence of power affecting nutrition, for instance. 

“I was excited to understand the connections in education, healthcare, and infrastructure,” she shares. For her, these areas overlapped significantly, and working in one without addressing the others felt incomplete. 

“I started this work so focused on sectors, but working in villages underscored for me the roles trust and inequality played as building blocks of development, the social underpinnings of development. 

“To really work effectively, we had to address these issues at their intersection. Socially, causality socially is hard to define, as any one issue often has multiple causes,” adds Marta. 

Her approach to development is rooted in the principles of permaculture, wherein each input in a system has at least two functions. “This can be applied to all systems,” she says.

Over the past seven years, Safalgram has implemented several key projects aimed at improving sanitation, infrastructure, and access to clean drinking water.

EvapoTranspiration Toilet (EVT-T):

The EvapoTranspiration Toilet is an on-site sanitation system designed for the chemical and biological treatment and reuse of household blackwater. 

“The greatest advantage of this design is there is no need to clean or maintain the toilet tank. It is a natural, zero-discharge system, digesting, absorbing, and releasing all human excreta,” says Marta. The system processes waste naturally, eliminating the need for manual cleaning or maintenance of the toilet tank. 

Over the past seven years, Safalgram has constructed over 500 EVT-T units, significantly enhancing sanitation facilities in the region.

The EVT-T was developed over three decades by permaculturists . In 2017, the Evapotranspiration Toilet won second prize for Toilet technology by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation's Swachhathon 1.0. 

The technology holds the promise of being a lifetime solution for a family of five when used correctly. Collaborations with IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, and local engineers, as well as support from the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, have been instrumental in advancing this technology.

Permeable roads:

Safalgram has introduced permeable road designs that allow rainwater to pass through the surface and percolate into the ground. 

This approach reduces stormwater runoff, minimises erosion, mitigates the heat island effect, and filters pollutants through the road's layers. Additionally, these roads are cost-effective, utilising nearly half the quantity of bricks compared to traditional interlocking road designs.

Slow sand drinking water filter:

To address the need for clean drinking water, Safalgram has implemented slow sand filtration systems. These filters consist of tanks filled with graded stones supporting a layer of sand. Water is poured into the tank, and as it passes through the sand and stone layers, particles and microbes are removed, resulting in purified drinking water.

However, implementing these solutions has not been without its challenges. “The huge septic tanks have so much status in the village. I don’t think our toilet model was ever able to reach that status level,” Marta admits. 

“Almost none of the toilets’ top plant layer survived. We continue to conduct annual surveys of their performance and maintenance and look for meaningful long-term solutions.”

Building trust and overcoming challenges

Establishing Safalgram was fraught with difficulties. From uncooperative local officials to unreliable partners. 

“Local officials in rural areas can be hard to work with; in the capital city, there was always so much support,” she reflects. 

One particularly challenging experience involved a partner who backed out of building 67 toilets after raising significant funds. “Instead, she spent her money on self-promotion,” Marta recalls.

Despite these setbacks, Safalgram has positively impacted over 500 families. The initiative’s emphasis on education has been especially fruitful. 

“I think we have helped the children to build their self-esteem. As basic sanitation challenges were resolved, they began doing well in their studies and performed much better in their board exams,” Marta shares.

Safalgram’s success is deeply rooted in strategic collaborations with diverse partners, blending expertise and resources to amplify its impact. The organisation has collaborated with IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur to refine and implement solutions like the EVT-Ts. 

It has partnered with engineers Tarun Sharma, Hitesh, and Shubham Gupta for infrastructure and technological innovations; benefited from support and funding through various government initiatives and partnerships to reach underserved communities; and engaged with organisations like the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust for community-centric initiatives.

Safalgram has also drawn insights from global collaborators, including experts from Brazil working on sanitation solutions. In addition, it has received significant financial backing from corporate social responsibility initiatives and crowdfunding platforms, enabling grassroots projects.

Working in rural India as an American woman has offered Marta profound insights. “Patience, adjusting, being sensitive, developing my compassion, understanding the importance of timing,” she lists. 

Marta’s work also underscores the importance of listening to the community. “Really listening and understanding the people you’re working for is an important first step,” she emphasises. 

Currently, Marta is balancing her work with caregiving responsibilities. She is also keen to survey high-need beneficiaries and government facilities to ensure that existing schemes reach the last mile. “It seems silly to keep adding new schemes until we can fix how current facilities are working,” she notes.

While challenges persist, Marta’s unwavering dedication and ability to adapt continue to inspire hope for a brighter future in these communities.