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by Nomadic Chris, 19 November 2008
Toilets and sanitation, often the butt of jokes but an increasingly serious matter, now has a day of action and advocacy. Organized by the World Toilet Organization, November 19, 2008 is World Toilet Day!
 According to the WHO/UNICEF, an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to reasonable sanitation and nearly 1.2 billion still practice open defecation, a risky sanitary practice. If trends continue, there will still be 2.6 billion people without basic sanitation in 2015. Children will continue to suffer the most with shortened life spans, missed schooling, disease, malnutrition and poverty.
With up to 45 percent of the world’s population without access to basic sanitation, toilet talk needs to become more vocal and fast! World Toilet Day is the perfect platform to air these needs! After the successful World Toilet Summit and Expo 2008 recently held in Macau, these issues have gained greater attention globally.
World Toilet Organization (WTO) stands up for the 3 We(s) in the theme "We Deserve Better"
• WE: Toilets deserve better social status. WTO has been striving to elevate the status of toilets to make them status symbols and objects of desire. WTO speaks on behalf of toilets: "WE DESERVE BETTER SOCIAL STATUS.”
• WE: The second WE are the toilet cleaners. WTO aims to professionalize the sanitation and restroom industry and to upgrade the skill sets of the restroom cleaners. WTO speaks on behalf of the toilet cleaners: "WE DESERVE BETTER PAY, RESPECT AND PROSPECTS.”
• WE: WTO speaks on behalf of 2.5 billion toilet-less people: "WE DESERVE BETTER PLACES TO DEFECATE -- PROPER TOILETS.”
Things you can do on World Toilet Day and beyond….
• JOIN the cause on Facebook: Toilets for the Poor
• BLOG about the cause November 19, and write an article why we all deserve better
• PROMOTE the day by putting your instant messenger or Facebook status as: TODAY IS WORLD TOILET DAY
NEXT MONTH, OUR THEME WILL BE "FAMILY & COMMUNITY", and we will feature an exclusive interview with "Mr. Toilet" himself, founder of the World Toilet Organization, Jack Sim, so watch out for it ~ he's a quite a character!
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Comments
Very interesting, blog. I
Very interesting, blog.
I had no idea that there was such a thing as "World Toilet Day". Thanks for giving people like me a heads up on the existence of such a thing.
Having done my fair share of traveling and having experience my fair share of horrifying bathrooms, the work of the WTO resonates strongly with my experience. I'm glad that something is being done about worldwide access to basic sanitation.
Yay for the three WEEs!!!
(I'm sorry, I have just to do it....Get it? Wee? Hahaha).
Follow up
Thanks for your comment. We have placed up the interview with Jack Sim, Toilet man himself!
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