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World Toilet Day – What other countries are doing to raise awareness about sanitation issues
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In just a few weeks, World Toilet Day will be taking place. November 19, 2009 has been recognized by the United Nations as the day to celebrate the importance of sanitation and raise awareness about the 2.5 billion people around the world that don’t have access to toilets and proper sanitation. This holiday is celebrated all across the world, as a number of countries are organizing events to promote this cause.
At Australia an event is taking place called the “Big Squat,” where people fast, meditate, and pray while sitting on a toilet. Furthermore, Australians will be participating in an event called “Surf for Toilets,” in which they surf while sending the word about the deaths that happen as a result of sanitation problems around the world. A seminar on implementing sanitation policies will occur in Bangladesh, volunteers in Cameroon will be cleaning toilets in schools, and at the United Kingdom a comedy night will be hosted to raise money for sanitation projects. Also, India will be hosting the Beautiful Toilet Contest to reduce stigma and discrimination about toilets through storytelling in schools.
But what is being done in the United States of America? At Portland State University, which is at the state of Oregon, guest speakers are talking about sanitation issues that homeless people are facing. Likewise, WaterAid America is holding presentations in Washington D.C. about the relationship between health and sanitation, as diarrheal diseases kill 4,000 children a day. Mahatma Gandhi state that “The cause of many of our diseases is the condition of our lavatories and our bad habit of disposing of excreta anywhere and everywhere.” In fact, China was unable to host the 2000 Olympics because of the condition of their toilets, though in 2008, as their toilets were considered cleaner by the Olympic Committee, it was the site for the Olympics to take place. So how are these toilets becoming more acceptable to society?
There is an organization called World Toilet Organization that is addressing sanitation problems around the world, particularly in regards to toilets. This agency works in the slums and rural areas of the world to clean up areas that are infected by environmental pollution and human waste. The World Toilet Organization started the world’s first World Toilet College to train restroom specialists in the art of toilet design, maintenance, school and sanitation.
Volunteers of World Toilet Organization are using a variety of methods to raise awareness about World Toilet Day. From universities and corporations to religious institutions, people from all over the world are approaches such as art and music to help people learn about ways to raise money for sanitation projects across the globe. For instance, the viewing of an online comic called The Adventures of Super Toilet will teach kids about the impact that hygiene has on health. In addition, videos about public urination will be shown, teachers will be providing educational materials on how to use public toilets, and there will even be a photo exhibit shown during World Toilet Day. This exhibit, called The Irony of Sanitation, will consist of photos taken by volunteers about the conditions of toilets around the world.
There are 215 international organizations that collaborate with the World Toilet Organization, consisting of 57 countries. These nations include Armenia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and China. These members range from government officials and professors to engineers and representatives of relief organizations. They are heavily involved in addressing sanitation issues throughout the world, particularly promoting them during World Toilet Day.
For more information on events taking place during World Toilet Day, please visit the website http://www.worldtoiletday.com/events.html or find out about the World Toilet Organization on www.worldtoilet.org.
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