World Toilet Day
Sunday 19th November 2023
Introduction
Right now, there are 3.5 billion people still living without safe toilets. 419 million people still practise ‘open defecation’. In these situations, diseases spread, killing 1,000 children under-five every single day. This global crisis poses a threat to nature and everyone’s health, particularly women, girls, and other vulnerable groups.
Your actions – however small – will help improve toilets and sanitation systems and protect nature. We are now counting down to 2030, with just seven years left to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) – safe toilets and water for all by 2030.
Today, the world is seriously off track. We need to work five times faster on sanitation.
World Toilet Day 2023 is about accelerating change by doing whatever you can. Take action today, learn about the issues and share the campaign with your networks.
Gairloch High School pupil Iain Miles has been raising funds for Toilet Twinning so that everyone everywhere can have access to toilets by 2030. For World Toilet Day, Iain is joining forces with our local community run public toilets in Poolewe, Aultbea, and Kinlochewe to raise awareness of the challenges of toilet provision across the world, including in our own community.
Hear Iain & Janet Miles discuss World Toilet Day and its importance to our community.
Iain’s Fundraising Stall 19 November 11:00 - 17:00
Please join us for our fundraising event at The GALE Centre.
Stuck for a Christmas present idea for those friends who have everything? Then why not twin their toilet?
You can purchase a range of Toilet Twinning gifts from Iain’s fundraising stall such as Toilet Twinning certificates, bars of soap and special loo rolls. All funds raised will be sent to Toilet Twinning.
GALE Action Forum has been care-taking and cleaning Poolewe and Aultbea public toilets since 1997, thanks largely to the commitment and support of a succession of fantastic cleaners who have carried out the role as a labour of love with a desire to retain the service for the local community.
Despite clean water and sanitation being a Sustainable Development Goal, the UK and Scottish Governments do not include toilet provision as one of their statutory provisions. As a result, public toilets are not well funded and local communities are left to pick up the tab – both financing the buildings and cleaning materials and volunteering time to keep them clean.
Thanks to local fundraising efforts and donations from toilet users, GALE has been able to employ a cleaner to keep these facilities clean, safe and open all year round.
So come and support Iain and the local loos. If you can’t make it, you can still donate.
