Willesden writer, Yvonne Bailey-Smith to feature in WaterAid’s new online Toilet Stories exhibition
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Yvonne Bailey-Smith, mother of famous novelist Zadie Smith, features in WaterAid’s stunning new online exhibition, Toilet Stories, which launches this week to mark UN World Toilet Day (19 November).
The new online Toilet Stories exhibition includes stories and portraits from Rwanda, Madagascar and the UK. It explores the lives of those affected by a lack of decent toilets - one in four people globally - and those whose lives have been transformed by them.
In the exhibition, Yvonne, 64, recalls her experience of growing up in a village in the south west part of Jamaica. She remembers her family’s latrine, built by her grandfather, which replaced an older one that she feared would one day collapse. The new toilet, solidly built with a concrete floor, made a big impression on Yvonne as he’d built it with two toilets side-by-side.
Part of the Windrush generation, when she was 15 years old Yvonne emigrated to the UK in 1969, to join her family who’d moved to London ahead of her. It was on the flight to England that she first experienced a flushing toilet – something that seemed very strange to her at first, but sparked a life-long interest. Yvonne soon came to appreciate her family’s own toilet and started to consider the bathroom as a special place.
Yvonne said:
"My travels around the world have taken me to many countries and given me many toilet experiences, from the most basic to those that are super-modern and stylish. Indeed a friend gently pointed out to me that I’m a little obsessed with toilets. She was correct.”
Yvonne’s appreciation for toilets of all kinds has grown over the years, and she was happy to share her stories with WaterAid to keep raising awareness of the life-saving, yet humble, toilet.
Toilet Stories is a collaboration between international charity WaterAid, photographer Elena Heatherwick and writer Sally Williams, and is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Visitors to the gallery toilet-stories.wateraid.org can explore heartfelt, surprising stories from each country, and see individual portraits of toilets set against a pure white backdrop.
Yvonne added:
"As a WaterAid supporter, I was thrilled to be asked to be part of ‘Toilet Stories’. It’s so true that every toilet tells a story – just think of my grandfather; he was so in love with my grandmother that he built a side-by-side twin toilet!
“I’m in the fortunate position to be able to share my own toilet experiences, but for millions of people, this isn’t the case. It’s absolutely unacceptable that in this day and age so many people are without a toilet – access to a decent toilet is a human right. Things must change.”
When asked which of the Toilet Stories portraits she likes the most, Yvonne said:
“In the Toilet Stories exhibition, Agnes's story is very powerful and resonates with me. It really highlights why toilets are so important. Imagine up to five children a month dying from diseases which are spread directly by the lack of toilets in a village.
“It is also wonderful to see that communities who were at war not so long ago, can now come together to support each other in building toilets for all. It's a tribute to the human spirit.”
Globally, two billion people live without a decent toilet of their own, exposing them to health risks such as cholera and diarrhoea. With climate change worsening, extreme weather such as heavy flooding can damage toilets, causing diseases to spread further. WaterAid is calling on governments to commit more money to sanitation services that are climate-resilient, so communities are able cope with whatever the future holds.
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised more than £15m to support WaterAid’s work bringing clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to communities all around the world since 2013. WaterAid are just one of the charities that are supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. In Greater London alone, players have raised £34,104,447 for good causes across Britain and internationally.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said:
“Sanitation is a universal human right. But for many communities around the world, physical and affordable access to sanitation that is safe, hygienic and secure is not a reality. Thanks to the support of players, we’ve seen the incredible impact investing in clean water and decent toilets can have for communities, schools and health centres. We’re delighted to be working with WaterAid on the Toilet Stories exhibition, keeping that conversation going, shining a light on this issue and reminding us all how the humble toilet keeps us safe and well.”
Tim Wainwright, WaterAid CEO, said:
“WaterAid is excited to be launching our new exhibition, giving toilets the attention they deserve. The world’s sanitation crisis is trapping billions of people in poverty. Decent toilets, together with clean water and good hygiene, are essential for people to live healthy, productive and dignified lives.
“We are so grateful for the support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who are helping us deliver these essential services to communities across the world today – and we won’t stop campaigning for change until everyone, everywhere has the clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene they need to stay healthy for good.”
Visit the online exhibition
ENDS
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Notes to Editors:
Toilet Stories
Toilet Stories is a collaboration between international charity WaterAid, photographer Elena Heatherwick and freelance journalist/writer Sally Williams, and is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Visitors to the gallery can explore heartfelt, surprising stories from each country, and see individual portraits of toilets set against a pure white backdrop.
NB the case studies were gathered on trips that took place pre-Covid-19.
Elena Heatherwick specialises in portrait and documentary photography. Her understanding of light and shadow and her sharp eye for the smallest detail convey meaning in her photos, creating images that make you stop and think. Her work has featured in numerous magazines and newspapers including the New York Times and the Guardian. She has worked around the world collaborating with the UN, the International Rescue Committee and many others – and now WaterAid.
Sally Williams is a London-based feature writer. Her work has taken her across the world, and into the heart of people’s lives – from Peshmerga fighters in Iraq to surrogate mothers in Ukraine to fishermen in Mozambique. Sally’s features have appeared in Guardian Weekend, the Telegraph and the Times magazines to name just a few.
WaterAid
WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 28 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 26.4 million people with clean water and 26.3 million people with decent toilets. For more information, visit www.wateraid.org/uk, follow @WaterAid or @WaterAidPress on Twitter, or find WaterAid UK on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wateraid.
- 785 million people in the world – one in ten – do not have clean water close to home.[1]
- 2 billion people in the world – almost one in four – do not have a decent toilet of their own.[2]
- Around 310,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That's almost 800 children a day, or one child every two minutes.[3]
- Every £1 invested in water and toilets returns an average of £4 in increased productivity.[4]
- Just £15 can provide one person with clean water.[5]
[1] WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG Baselines
[2] WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG Baselines
[3] Prüss-Ustün et al. (2014) and The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (2018)
[4] World Health organization (2012) Global costs and benefits of drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to reach the MDG target and universal coverage
[5] www.wateraid.org
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WaterAid and People’s Postcode Lottery
Since 2013, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have supported WaterAid’s work with more than £15m. This support is transforming millions of lives across Sub-Saharan Africa and contributing to WaterAid’s vision of a world where everyone, everywhere has access to these basic human rights.
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