Toilet Twinning – flushing poverty down the loo

2.3 billion people don’t have somewhere safe to go to the toilet.

Almost 1 in 3 people living in the world don’t have a safe place to go to the loo. Not only does this make daily life unpleasant and uncomfortable, but it presents a huge risk. There are thousands of deaths every year due to poor sanitation, which fosters water borne diseases such as cholera, and intestinal worms. It’s crazy to think that more people have mobile phones, than access to a toilet!

What to do? Twin that loo

Take a moment to think of how many different toilets you have access to. You’ve probably got at least one at home, several at uni or work, plenty in all the cafes, shops and local places you visit.

The principle of toilet twinning is simple – you chose a toilet you use, and ‘twin’ it with one given to a community who are in need of safe places to go to the toilet. The money you raise not only funds a toilet, but also helps support community education and sanitation programs.

Twinning a loo is £60 or £240 for a school or church block (great for team fundraising!)

Easy as 1-2-3

Toilet Twinning is remarkably easy.

  1. Choose a loo to twin (choosing one used by lots of people is a great way to raise awareness)
  2. Raise your funds (see our top tips below)
  3. Send them to toilettwinning.org, choose a location for the new toilet, and await your framed certificate!

Step two is the tricky bit, so we’ve listed some ideas to get you started with raising funds.

  • Quiz nights are always fun. Why not raise funds to twins the loos at your church, office or uni by hosting a quiz there? You can even raise awareness of the importance of good sanitation globally with a toilet-themed-round.
  • Stuck for gift-list ideas this Christmas? Why not ask family and friends to help you twin your toilet at home?
  • You could try setting up a sponsored toilet. Pop a collection tin in the bathroom to collect people’s spare change – if you choose a well-used loo you’ll be surprised how quickly you raise the funds!

The list doesn’t stop there! There are so many creative ways to get involved. When you twin your loo, you get a framed certificate to hang in the bathroom, so twinning one loo in a workplace or public toilet can be a great way to inspire others to do the same.  

All you need can be found at toilettwinning.org. Happy twinning!

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