We start this week’s programme, week commencing 20th November 2014, with a little history as we consider why the UN has designated a special day to Toilets. Yesterday the 19th November was World Toilet Day.

So here we are today with the ability to go to a toilet in private, but that hasn’t always been the case. Toilets have improved over the years, do take a little time to view a really good History of Toilets.

The pioneers of Rotary saw the need for Public Toilets and this was one of the first projects the original Rotary Club undertook. As an organisation we continue to be concerned about eradicating disease and the toilet can help us do just that, Water and Sanitation is today one of Rotary International’s key focus areas.

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During the Rotary International Conference in Sydney this year Rotarians Janice and Tim were privileged to hear a wonderful speaker, Jack Sim, better known as Mr.Toilet (please view the video of his speech on this link), he really brings home the problem we have in today’s world. One of the outcomes from their trip to Australia was to try do get others involved in the Toilet issue and encourage less talking shit and more action to give people a very basic human need, to be treated with respect.

So as President Janice launches our eAwareness Campaign for 2014 from her throne, she says “everyone who reads ‘Talking Crap’ please help to spread the message that there are 1 in 3 of the world’s population without the use of a toilet, how can each one of us help to make a difference?”.

So she calls on you all to:

• think what it would be like if you had to live without a toilet
• help spread the message by sharing the need for more toilets on Social Media and when talking to friends
• Do we know places where toilets are needed and what can we do to help get them installed?

To read more about the facts about the lack of toilets please visit the following websites:

Water Aid – United Kingdom

United Nations World Toilet Day There is a really good Ted Talk on this page, when you have time please view it.

You might be interested in joining the World Toilet Organisation

For instance, how about having an online sponsored Toilet Art Competition see World Toilet Day: Porcelain in Art

Time to stop talking crap and raise the issue of helping to get better sanitation across our world so that all efforts to eradicate disease can be achieved by people putting their shit in places that does not contaminate water supplies and spreads the germs.

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