National Unfriend Day and World Toilet Day both in the same week? I think I finally understand what it’s like for our friends in England with Christmas and Boxing Day so close to one another.
Unlike the decidedly jokey National Unfriend Day, however, today’s World Day has a serious bent. The event, led by the World Toilet Organization (WTO) and 16 “toilet organizations” was first commemorated in 2001. The event was developed to shed some the 1.8 million people a year who die due to a lack of sanitation. That’s more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.
World Toilet Day’s organizers are asking people around the world to take part in a “big squat” for one minute. “This purposeful title is presented in a direct, but humorous way to lighten the discomfort many cultures have with discussing the topic openly,” says the organization. “People around the world are asked to squat in public for one minute in support of World Toilet Day, driving home the point ‘where would you go?’ and how people without toilets are forced to go in public places.”
The WTO is asking participants to inform local media representative about their squatting plans and to upload a shot of them in action to the World Toilet Day site.