Queue for the loo and attempt a world record!

16 March 2010

WaterAid is participating in a Guinness world record attempt to create the World's longest toilet queue while calling for action from politicians to tackle the global sanitation and water crisis.

International coalition End Water Poverty has been organising queues to happen all across the globe on World Toilet Day, Monday 22 March.

Steve Cockburn, International Campaigns Coordinator for End Water Poverty, said: "Fifty-two countries are coming together to form the world's longest toilet queue.

"This should create a really strong impact rippling across the world as together we demand positive action from politicians attending the first ever High-Level Meeting on Water and Sanitation in Washington DC on 23 April."

London queue

The queue in London will take place in Old Palace Yard, Westminster, and is being organised by WaterAid in conjunction with other UK-based End Water Poverty members, including Tearfund and Pump Aid.

While it promises to be a fun event, the message behind it is a serious and powerful one: 2.5 billion people lack sanitation facilities and 4,000 children under five die every day as a result.

"It is crucial that we stress the importance of sanitation to the UK government because, despite pushing for the high-level meeting, none of our politicians have committed to even attending it yet" said Steve.

Participants in the London event will queue up at a giant toilet while wearing a mask of Gordon Brown looking like he has caught a whiff of a bad smell. The aim is to encourage him to demonstrate continued leadership to tackle the sanitation and water crisis.

We are hoping as many people as possible will lend their support and get in line and into the history books to push for lasting change...  Rhian Lewis, WaterAid Campaigns Officer

There will also be mock-up newspapers for people to read and a giant loo roll petition to sign, which a group of campaigners will present to key politicians later that day.

Rhian Lewis, WaterAid Campaigns Officer, said: "This campaign has the potential to be an amazing success, so we are hoping as many people as possible will lend their support and get in line and into the history books to push for a lasting change to billions of lives."

• For people who cannot get to the London event, anyone can arrange their own toilet queue for at least 25 people anytime between 20 and 22 March.
  
  
• Visit the World's Longest Toilet Queue website for more information and resources.