We know how important toilets are and this is why on #WorldToiletDay we need to highlight the fact that 3.6 billion people are living without safely managed sanitation.
They’re vital for all sorts of reasons including protecting us from killer diseases, helping reduce malnutrition and of course keeping girls in school when they are menstruating.
Girls and women need privacy to manage their period without shame and there is an ongoing challenge to provide hygienic spaces where girls can deal with their period with freedom and reduce the risk of abuse and rape. By having access to private and safe toilets, girls can continue their education in school and this leads to increased options for employment, shaking off the burden of poverty.
Providing a water supply and toilet is one of humanity’s greatest opportunities. That’s why it’s not just a toilet, it’s a lifesaving, health-improving, GDP boosting, gender empowering, engine of human potential.