Archive for sanitation

Last Thursday was World Toilet Day, an international day to recognize the need for proper sanitation around the world. Upon encouragement from our friends at the World Toilet Organization, the Beyond Profit team organized an event—a Big Squat—a public demonstration of sorts. Big Squats were held around the world in 19 countries, to raise awareness of the 2.5 billion people who don’t have access to toilets.

We thought it was a great idea, and went about telling everyone we knew to meet us at the beach in Mumbai, Chowpatty, to gather and squat. It was all going as planned until the police got wind of things. Their friends at the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) had tipped them off when they saw our announcement in the Mumbai Mirror (the New York Post of Mumbai) inviting the good citizens of Mumbai to join us.

Surrounded by 14 cops and two high ranking BMC officials, we started to question if we had gone about our public demonstration in the right way. First, we probably should have been clearer. It turns out that the BMC and the police were under the impression that we planned to rally a big group of people to collectively use the bathroom on the beach. Even after we cleared that up—that we had no intention of actually using the beach as our loo (just a demonstration folks!)—the police were still wary. They said that because of the terror attacks in Mumbai a year ago, there are no public demonstrations allowed on Chowpatty Beach at all. Big Squat foiled.

What we did do, before we were shut down, was hand out educational flyers to beachgoers. Printed in Hindi and English, the flyers told people about the need for proper sanitation, and the need for more toilets in Mumbai, both public, and in homes and slum communities. People were happy to see us, and interested in what we had to say.

Sheepishly, we must admit that we learned a lot more on Thursday than we anticipated. Next time, we’ll speak to our friends at the BMC and the Mumbai police commission first, and get their buy-in so that they realize we’re allies in this process, not enemies. Second, we’ll get a press partner in advance. At the event, we had 6 radio correspondents show up who said they would be happy to publicize a cool event like this in the future. Third, we’ll do awareness raising activities on the ground, on site leading up to our big event to generate excitement and dialogue. Lastly, we’ll also put our messages in Marathi, the state language! Hindi is always appreciated, but with some audiences, the local language is even better understood. It’s all about knowing your audience.

As you know, today Beyond Profit will squat for  the World Toilet Organization–a group with a great sense of humor–to get people to sit up and take notice of pressing sanitation issues. The Big Squat asks citizens of the world to squat in a public place for one minute in order to recognize the 2.5 billion people who don’t have access to sanitation.

For all those interested in joining the squat movement with us, please note that the squat will start from the Banyan Tree on Chowpatty beach across the Cafe Coffee Day outlet. So see you all there.

Imagine life without a toilet. Imagine the mess. Imagine the disease.

Today is World Toilet Day, a day to celebrate the humble, yet vitally important, toilet and to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis. This year, 19 countries in 5 continents are coming together to create actions that will push for the providence of basic sanitation for the 2.5 billion toilet-less and to advocate a better toilet environment for you and me.

The highlight of this year’s celebration is “The Big Squat”, a global community movement fofr the 2.5 billion toilet-less. We’ll be squatting tomorrow on Chowpatty Beach. Please join us at 5pm – the actual squat will take place at 5.25pm, to honor, in yet another small way, those 2.5 billion without access to proper sanitation.

We are also extremely excited to have two portable toilets on hand – one western-style and one Indian-style – courtesy of Saraplast, a portable toilet and waste management services firm.

In the lead-up to World Toilet Day, we were lucky enough to spend a few minutes with the “Toilet Man” himself, the one-and-only Jack Sim. Jack founded the World Toilet Organization (WTO) in 2001. After decades of being a successful entrepreneur in the construction business, Jack realized that the lack of adequate sanitation facilities account for much of the world’s social and health problems. The WTO’s vision is to attain clean, safe, affordable, ecologically sound, and sustainable sanitation for everyone.

The following are a few highlights from our conversation with Jack. Enjoy!

Why toilets?

Toilets.  Well, if you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go. You have no choice. A lot of people don’t want to talk about toilets. But if you don’t talk about something, you can never improve.

World Toilet Day is your freedom day. That day, you can say sh*t, you can do anything you want to do in order to improve toilets, to take a stand, to make a statement. » Continue reading “A Talk With the “Toilet Man””

November 19th is World Toilet Day. Sounds like a joke, right? We thought so, but as we’ve learned more about sanitation, we realized that there is a very real need to raise awareness about this issue–which sometimes means uncomfortable conversations! For the 2.5 billion people (nearly half of the world’s population) w…ho don’t have access to toilets, sanitation is really about health; equipping communities with the tools for proper sanitation can make a difference between life or death.

Next Thursday, the World Toilet Organization–a group with a great sense of humor–is organizing a public event to get people to sit up and take notice of pressing sanitation issues. The Big Squat asks citizens of the world to squat in a public place for one minute in order to recognize the 2.5 billion people who don’t have access to sanitation. Big Squat events are being organized all over the world, with the most in India!

Beyond Profit is organizing a Big Squat right in our own backyard – on Chowpatty Beach, Marine Drive at 5pm on Thursday, November 19. Please join us! For more information, email us at ideas@beyondprofit.com.

The following is a guest contribution from our friend Jenny Steeves at the World Toilet Organization.

A cholera epidemic has killed over 4,300 people in Zimbabwe since late 2008. One hundred seventy of those people live in Chitungwiza, a sprawling high-density suburb of Harare, which faces sewage and water problems, the likes of which most of the world eradicated in the late 19th century.

In the midst of this living horror is a small charity working with local students called Youth 2 Youth.  To help prevent their students from getting cholera, they are doing exactly what we want YOU to do: they’re celebrating World Toilet Day on November 19th.

World Toilet Day was created in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization to raise awareness for a subject everyone finds embarrassing. But our embarrassment prevents us from facing the problem: 2.5 billion people around the world have no access to sanitation. And, 1.8 million people, mostly children, die every year from diseases like cholera or simple diarrhea. To help them, it’s time for you to get over your shyness.

This years’ World Toilet Day celebration is going to be the biggest yet—if people like you join people like Zimbabwe’s Youth 2 Youth in celebrating it.

On November 19, World Toilet Day events will take place all over the world. India has the most events scheduled by a single country, and will feature creative activities like the Beautiful Toilet contest by the Vasantham Trust.  Ahead of World Toilet Day they will visit schools and discuss the importance of keeping toilets clean.  And will return on World Toilet Day to award certificates for the most beautifully maintained toilets.

While there is a serious side to why we celebrate World Toilet Day, sometimes humor is needed to break down our inhibitions.  That is precisely what is happening in London where Pump Aid and the National Union of Students are partnering for a night of comedy called “It’s not a taboo, it’s just poo!”

But the biggest event is one that’s sure to generate media coverage—and it’s the easiest thing you can do to participate. We call it The Big Squat – a movement for the toilet-less.  Here’s what’s going to happen: on November 19th, in workplaces, busy locations and universities around the world, groups of people are going to stop and squat. For one minute.  Stop, drop and squat.  And then they’ll explain to everyone who notices them why they’re squatting—and what can be done to solve the problem of sanitation. Big Squats are being planned in places ranging from McGill University in Montreal, a mall in central Singapore, and a big public high school in California – and more Squat Squads are forming every day.

In Zimbabwe, Youth 2 Youth will be teaching students about importance of proper sanitation and handwashing through activities such as poetry writing, performing plays, drawing competitions and concerts.  They are teaching kids who live in fear of cholera every day that the disease can be prevented—if only people talk about toilets.

The countdown to World Toilet Day has begun. Join us to make a difference! Visit our website and start a Squat Squad today!