Today is World Toilet Day
Sanitation may be an embarrassing word. Something we don’t like to talk about. Something people in the communities we try to help are also embarrassed to talk about. But access to water and sanitation is the foundation of development.
Unfortunately the toilets that we take for granted are considered a luxury by the 2.6 billion people on earth who lack them. Without toilets, people are forced to defecate on the bare ground, or in urban and peri-urban areas, to stand in line to use a filthy public latrine. The result of this can be summed up in one lethal word: diarrhea. Diarrhea thrives in the absence of basic, hygienic conditions and is the number one killer of children in the world.
This is why November 19 was designated as World Toilet Day, by the World Toilet Organization (or, the other WTO).
Water 1st is working hard to change this. A donation of $50 is all it takes for Water 1st is all it takes to provide one person with water, sanitation and hygiene education for life using simple, low-cost solutions.
Water 1st is a member of The End Water Poverty coalition which has produced a film to promote political action in bringing improvements in sanitation around the world. The Japanese Government is hosting next year’s G8 summit. Help us to take action this World Toilet Day. Watch the film and sign the petition lobbying the Japanese Government to put sanitation on the 2008 G8 agenda.
Also, please check out the World Toilet Summit blog of Dave Praeger, author of Poop Culture, a new book from Dave (which he also generously donated to our auction last Friday).