SPONSORED FEATURE
Did you know that over 2.4 billion people across the world don’t have somewhere safe to go to the toilet? In at least 46 countries at least half the population doesn't have access to proper sanitation, while it’s estimated that 748 million people lack access to clean and safe drinking water. Poor sanitation is one of the world’s biggest killers, with a child under the age of five dying every minute of every day due to illnesses linked to unclean water and poor sanitation. (Diarrhoea is the second biggest killer of children under five worldwide.) That’s more than half a million children losing their lives yearly because they’re refused the simple facilities we take for granted. If your mum could trade in another bunch of flowers this Sunday, in favour of helping to reduce those numbers by a little, then I'm absolutely sure she would; only a mother can imagine the irreparable pain caused by losing a child - especially due to preventable causes. Toilet Twinning is a vitally important charity that's providing an opportunity for you to give your mum a gift with a difference this Mother’s Day; it’s a chance for you to not only make her smile, but to make a mother half way across the world smile too.
So how does Toilet Twinning work? This innovative and vital charity provides the poorest communities on the planet with toilet facilities, clean water and all the information they need to stay healthy. For just £6.00 you can support the cause and buy a Toilet Twinning soap, enriched with Aloe Vera, Camomile and Vitamin E to provide a soothing, moisturising and invigorating cleansing experience. For £60.00 you can twin your loo with a latrine halfway around the world (and become the proud owner of a personalised certificate, colour photo and GPS coordinates of its double.) You can even twin with a whole school block and make a difference to the hundreds of girls that would otherwise drop out of school when they hit puberty, embarrassed because they don't have anywhere safe and clean to go during their monthly period. (Can you imagine being denied an education because of something as simple as having no facilities to change your tampon?)
All the money raised through this scheme will be used to help families in poor communities around the world have access to clean water, a basic toilet and hygiene education, ensuring they’re able to keep their families healthy for years to come. These three vital elements combine to prevent the spread of disease: better health provides a greater ability to learn and earn a living, meaning men and women can break free from the poverty trap and ensure their children are properly educated - so they too can achieve their dreams for years to come, rather than worrying about simple infections. Simply handwashing with soap can reduce the risk of diarrhoea by up to 47%, illustrating how small procedures can make a big difference to our health. Interestingly, for every £1 spent on water and sanitation programmes, £8 is returned through reduced healthcare costs and increased productivity - meaning it’s a wise investment in not only the health of those that need it right now, but an investment in a healthier economic future too. That's something I'm sure both you and your mum can get on board with. So rather than wandering about the shops in an effort to find Mother's Day inspiration, why not twin your mum's loo instead? I know what mine is getting this Sunday...
(Although fully twinning your toilet may be a little out of your budget right now, it's only £6.00 to buy a soap bar that really could help make a cumulative difference to communities that are simply denied the basic sanitation and facilities that we take for granted. If you want to help support the initiative, then why not host a party with your friends and ask them to donate a little towards a Toilet Twin - or fundraise in the office and make your boring work loo that little bit more exciting? Every little bit makes a difference to those that need it most.)
"Family by family, community by community, nation by nation, we are flushing away poverty."
This is a sponsored feature on behalf of the Toilet Twinning organisation. However, I am using a proportion of my fee to twin the loos of my loved ones.
Features PR samples unless otherwise stated. To read my full disclaimer, click here.