November 19: World Toilet Day

MEDIA ADVISORY

News - National/International
Tuesday, November 13, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

World Toilet Day (Nov. 19) Aims to Give Relief to the Global Sanitation
Crisis

OTTAWA, ON - World Toilet Day takes place each year on November 19th, and
each year, it unfailingly evokes the same response - just what the heck is
World Toilet Day?

Started by the World Toilet Organization in 2001, World Toilet Day is an
internationally recognized occasion to celebrate the humble yet critical
role toilets play in our daily lives. For some, it is an opportunity to
unveil the latest in toilet technology; for others, it is a great excuse
to air one's best potty humour in public.

Increasingly though, World Toilet Day has become a call to action for one
of the most lethal and least reported humanitarian crises on the planet:
the global sanitation crisis:

• Around the world, 2.6 billion people - 42 per cent of the world's
  population - lack access to basic sanitation; this means no toilets, no
  latrines, no separation of human waste from daily life
  
  
• Each year, some two million people die from sanitation and
  water-related diseases; 90 per cent of these deaths occur in children
  under the age of five
  
  
• As a result, healthcare costs soar, countless school and working
  days are lost, and communities around the world sink deeper into poverty
  and despair

This year's World Toilet Day takes on added significance, as it coincides
with the official launch of the United Nations "International Year of
Sanitation 2008", taking place in New York City on November 21, 2007.

Should you wish to feature a story related to World Toilet Day and/or the
global sanitation crisis, WaterCan would be pleased to provide further
resources, photos, quotes, interviews, etc. As a leading Canadian
non-governmental organization that has been providing clean water and
basic sanitation to the world's poorest people since 1987, WaterCan has
made available the following staff for interviews:

George Yap, Program Director, WaterCan - Mr. Yap is an international
development and natural resource specialist with more than 15 years
experience in the NGO sector. He has spent considerable time in both
Africa and Asia - ground zero for the global sanitation crisis - and
regularly travels to Africa to oversee WaterCan's clean water and
sanitation initiatives.

Gary H.J. Pluim, Executive Director, WaterCan - Mr. Pluim draws on
more than a decade of experience in the field of international development
after 25 years in the Canadian banking industry. Mr. Pluim leads
WaterCan's annual study tour to Africa, which last year included
WaterCan's honorary president, Margaret Trudeau, and her daughter-in-law,
Sophie Grégoire.

To arrange an interview or request further information, please contact:

Erinn Steringa
Development & Communications Coordinator
WaterCan/EauVive
Tel: (613) 230-5182, ext. 228
Cell: (613) 889-9865
E-mail: esteringa@watercan.com

WaterCan is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to providing clean
water, basic sanitation, and hygiene education to the world's poorest
people. Since its creation in 1987, WaterCan has assisted more than one
million people in 32 developing countries. WaterCan currently supports
projects in Africa and works with local partners to implement water and
sanitation solutions that are low-cost, long-term, and meet the unique
needs of each community. For more information, please visit
www.watercan.com.

Image 1
A slum area in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Image 2
What is essentially an open sewer runs through the heart of a community in
Nairobi, Kenya, spilling over into surrounding areas during heavy rains,
flooding homes and spreading disease

Image 3
A poorly built latrine in Kampala, Uganda; during heavy rains, the
contents often spill out and pollute the surrounding area

Image 4
A schoolgirl in Nairobi uses the new hand-washing facilities at her
school; hand-washing and other forms of hygiene can reduce
sanitation-related diseases by up to 45 per cent (World Health
Organization)

Additional Resources:

* United Nations "International Year of Sanitation 2008"

* World Toilet Organization