World Toilet Day 2007

Credit: WaterAid

19 November is world Toilet Day, a day to celebrate the vitally important toilet and to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis which leaves 2.6 billion people without a safe place to go to the toilet.

WaterAid Mali has many activities lined up around this key date to highlight the issues. This is a very exciting year because of the huge commitment recently given to sanitation issues from religious chiefs and traditonal communicators.   

The activities will be officially launched by the President of the Republic and many people are expected attend, including diplomats and representatives from all the embassies and international co-operation departments.

During the launch there will be the great Malian musicians, 'Ensemble Instrumental du Mali', performing a song about sanitation specially written for the occasion. The lyrics include key messages and objectives of the global campaign to end the sanitation crisis. The performances will conclude with a sketch performed by a member of the National Drama Group.

As they leave, the President and his delegation will visit displays showing pictures highlighting sanitation in Mali by the National Directorate of Sanitation, WaterAid, UNICEF best practices and CREPA technologies.

After the launch, officials will be shown the differences between sanitized areas and non-sanitized sites and share people's experiences. The National Directorate of Sanitation will also kindly donate some trash cans.

Later in the afternoon, there will be a fantastic concert with some of the most well known singers in the country including Salif Keita, Amadou and Mariam, Abdoulaye Diabate, Baba Salah.

And the work won't stop there. During the rest of the rest of the week, there will be many public sensitization activities, conferences and public debates on sanitation issues.

On Wednesday 14 November, a press conference gathering major stakholders including UNICEF, WHO, CREPA and the Campaign Steering Committe was held to show that sanitation is a cross-sector issue and that there is a pressing need to address the current crisis. A radio programme about sanitation was broadcast on the same day in the afternoon on a muslim radio station.
 
On Saturday 17 November there will be preaching in most of Bamako's Mosques after Friday prayer. Each Imam of the 70 quarters of Bamako will be preaching choosing sanitation as the central theme. This is one of the best channels to spread the sanitation message and WaterAid is very pleased that so many people have committed to it.