Wednesday November 19th is apparently World Toilet Day...

I received this email from Plan International today and thought I should share it to help bring into perspective the whole "The sky if falling!" feeling that seems to be prevalent out there at the moment. Just think: at least you get to pee in a toilet. (I've got two and I live alone!):

On World Toilet Day, Plan is highlighting a radical approach we have been implementing that is bringing real and lasting change to communities. It's called Community-Led Total Sanitation.
Rather than providing or constructing toilets, Plan facilitates the community to analyse their sanitation conditions and the impact of open defecation on public health. This kindles feelings of shame and disgust and provokes urgent collective action to eliminate it.
Find out why building toilets is not the only solution for total sanitation.

Who poos where?Provoking change in community behaviour
Community-Led Total Sanitation involves a unique style of facilitation which involves using the crude local word for defecation such as "poo". It encourages local communities to appraise their practices which can be shocking to them. This style is both provocative and fun and is hands-off, leaving decisions and action to the community.
See CLTS in action around the world in this slideshow Communities lead the way in ending open defecation
In 2004, Plan introduced Community-Led Total Sanitation in over 200 villages in the Dinajpur District of Bangladesh. By 2007, all villages in Plan's target area had eliminated open defecation and the entire population now has access to hygienic latrines.
Watch how they did it in this short video clip How you can help -Donate to Plan's Appeal for Water and Sanitation in Tanzania
Your gift today will help Plan work with communities in Kisarawe District to establish sustainable, community-managed water systems and improved sanitation practices, with more than 70,000 people expected to benefit from better access to clean, safe drinking water and improved sanitation over the next three years.
Make a secure online donation now

(Or you can do as I do and just sponsor a kid through Plan International. Which is actually sponsoring the whole village: toilets and all, I suspect! This is particularly relevant to me right now as I just renewed my sponsorship for my two sponsored children last week (one through Plan, the other through The Smith Family) so they're very much in my thoughts)