The IWSA was made aware of the Toilet Twinning scheme earlier this year and after consulting with members, a decision was made to take part in the scheme.

Toilet Twinning raises funds to provide proper toilets, clean water and hygiene education in some of the poorest communities in the world, often in volatile and unstable nations. This three-pronged approach helps people take a first big step out of generational poverty. Without a toilet, people are trapped in a cycle of ill-health: by contrast, having even the most simple pit latrine can transform their health, their capacity for work, their desire to learn and their entire outlook on life.

The charity’s approach is to encourage families to build their own loos, after we’ve taught them about the importance of sanitation and basic hygiene practices such as handwashing. Our local partners provide the training and materials, but generally the families themselves do the hard work, digging the pit and constructing the toilet. In this way, they have ‘ownership’ of their loo and will keep on using it. In fact, they will never want to be without one again.

For a one-off £60 donation, you can twin your toilet with a household latrine and for £240 you can twin with a toilet block in a school or displacement camp. You will receive a certificate with a photo of your toilet twin and its GPS coordinates.

www.toilettwinning.org

Some of our individual members have also taken part in this worthwhile scheme.

Chiltern Hygiene has twinned its toilet with one in Pakistan and Pure Washrooms has twinned with a school’s toilet block in Guatemala.