World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day is an annual global event hosted by the United Nations. Every year it’s celebrated in order to raise awareness of the critical role that sanitation plays in achieving the SDGs, reducing disease and unnecessary deaths, and helping to create healthier communities. This year’s focus is on ‘Toilets for All’, which means leaving no one behind as we strive to achieve universal access to safe and sustainable sanitation.
World Toilet Day is especially important this year, as 60% of the entire population either have no toilet at home or no access to a safe communal toilet. Often, people will practise open defecation as they have no other option and this contributes to the vicious cycle of disease and poverty. The countries where open defecation is most widespread also have the highest numbers of deaths of children under 5 years old, as well as the highest levels of malnutrition and poverty (WHO, 2019).
In low and middle-income countries, some 827,000 people die as a result of poor water, sanitation and hygiene practices, which represents 60% of total diarrhoeal deaths (WHO, 2019). Poor sanitation and dirty water are to blame for the majority of these deaths which are mostly preventable. Together, we can join forces this World Toilet Day and help to provide better water, sanitation and hygiene services. At drop4drop, we work to fund sustainable clean water solutions across India and countries in Africa in communities that need it most. We demand accountable, effective and efficient provision of clean water, which goes on to help more children go to school and keeps the whole community happy and healthy.
Work with us and be part of the solution! You could fund a dedicated well in your name, or donate as little as £3 to help provide access to clean water for someone currently living without. Check out the ‘Get Involved‘ section of our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to stay up to date with our projects! @drop4drop