Northumbrian Water is backing a new report out by WaterAid, released ahead of this World Toilet Day (Sunday, November 19).
In their report, ‘Out of Order,’ Northumbrian Water’s international charity partner has revealed that across the world, one in three people still have don’t have access to a toilet, and demonstrates how women and girls bear the brunt of this global crisis.
For more than 1.1 billion women and girls, this exposes them to an increased risk of harassment and attack, poor health and limited education.
The report also shows that Ethiopia is the worst in the world for the highest percentage of its population without a toilet, while India remains the nation with the most people without toilets.
Heidi Mottram, Chief Executive of Northumbrian Water and WaterAid Trustee, said: “We’re extremely lucky in the North East to have access to a safe toilet and the reality is that most of us take them for granted.
“It’s dreadful to think that one third of the world’s population have nowhere safe to go to the toilet and this contributes to the appalling death toll of one child every two minutes from diarrhoeal disease.
“This World Toilet Day, WaterAid’s Out of Order report highlights just how much of a devastating impact poor sanitation can have on people’s lives, particularly for women, and really reminds us to love our loos.”
Northumbrian Water is committed to raising funds for WaterAid, which transforms peoples’ lives by providing them with basic human rights – access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.
Last year, Northumbrian WaterAid raised £210,000 for WaterAid projects in Madagascar.
World Toilet Day, celebrated annually around the world on 19 November, raises awareness about the need for clean and safe toilets for everyone.
For more information about WaterAid and their ‘Out of Order’ report, see www.wateraid.org/uk/out-of-order