If I was to ask you what man-made technology has saved millions of lives every year for years, I am sure I would hear a lot of different ingenious inventions like vaccines, penicillin, frozen foods and the like. But not too many of you would think of the common toilet. We use them every day - at home, school, work, restaurants, shopping malls, sports arenas - yet we hardly ever think or talk about them. When we do talk about them, we are embarrassed. You must admit we take the common toilet for granted. Why then, is the toilet being recognized by the UN and Rotary International by giving it its own day- WORLD TOILET DAY. ......
This year, and every year on November 19, we will recognize the common toilet as a real hero in the saving of millions of lives annually. This will be the 12th World Toilet Day.
Why does the toilet rate such an important recognition? The reasons are not known or clear to everyone. The facts are these. One-third of the world's population ( 3.5 billion people) do not have toilets or any access to any other basic sanitation. In these areas, 2000 children under the age of five years DIE EVERY SINGLE DAY . They die from diarrheal diseases caused by lack of proper sanitation and poor hygiene practices. Diarrheal diseases kill more children annually than AIDS, malaria and measles combined . The World Health Organization estimates that one million children's lives, under the age of five, would be saved if we could train them to simply wash their hands after they "do their business" in the bush or on the street or in an outhouse. 419 million people in the world still practice open defecation (pooping).This year, for billions of people sanitation is under threat from conflict, climate change, disasters and neglect. When sanitation services are disrupted, untreated human waste spreads in the environment unleashing deadly diseases like cholera, pneumonia, diarrhea and polio (Gaza2024).
Lack of toilets at schools or privacy in toilets at schools prevent many young girls from going to school during their menstrual time. This leads to increasing illiteracy among young girls .
The UN sustainable development goal to reduce the number of people who do not have access to basic sanitation to zero by 2030 is falling behind and that target date will not be met.
One of Rotary’s International areas of focus is water and sanitation. When providing much needed fresh water to those who need access to it, Rotary now includes the building of proper sanitary toilets and training in hand washing as part of the project.
The toilet is truly a lifesaver. So, on November 19 when you visit the bathroom, reflect on the importance of this device you are sitting on - and remember - wash your hands when you are done!
submitted by
Ted Morrison
Past District Governor
Rotary International District 7070