World Toilet Day
by Bonnie Alter, London 
on 11.19.08
Image by M. Betti and WaterAid
Don't laugh, this is serious. Did you know that 40% of the world's population, 2.6 billion people, don't have access to a toilet. To raise awareness of this global sanitation crisis and to celebrate a humble yet essential bathroom fixture, World Toilet Day is being proclaimed today, November 19. WaterAid has launched this campaign because without clean water and separate toilet facilities, diseases such as diarrhoea spread and affect children--5,000 a day die from illness related to poor sanitation.
But it's not all grim--to support the cause you can play "turdlywinks" on line or you can play "Poopla" (don't ask) or take a tinkle test. The faint-hearted can just write a letter to publicise the cause or donate money.
Image by M. Betti and WaterAid
Ecover, the ecological cleaning products manufacturer, will be providing financial support to the campaign for the next three years. They are supporting work in 11 villages in the Hintalo-Wajarat region of rural Ethiopia, with local partners. This impressive project will provide sustainable and ongoing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.
It includes construction of springs, hand dug wells and rain water catchment schemes. It also includes construction of pit latrines and education on hygiene promotion and training of water technicians and community health educators. Ecover and WaterAid
More on Ecover and WaterAid
Inside View on Ecover's Products
World Toilet Summit
WaterAid Lobbying
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