THE Bishop of Oxford has gone potty for poverty by twinning his toilet with a loo in a remote African village.
The Rt Rev John Pritchard has linked the smallest room in his home with a latrine in the African state of Burundi to raise awareness of dangers faced by millions of people worldwide who do not have access to clean water.
He pledged £60 to twin his toilet. The money will go towards building a safe and clean toilet, as well as helping to improve sanitation and hygiene for thousands of families.
Bishop John said: “It’s a real tragedy that so many children die and that there are so many health problems caused in poorer countries because communities do not have access to fresh running water.
“I was pleased to support this imaginative toilet twinning campaign.”
Taking pride of place in the bishop’s toilet is a picture of the twinned toilet in Burundi, complete with the Global Positioning System co-ordinates, enabling visitors to pinpoint the twinned loo on satellite maps.
But it’s not the first time Bishop John has highlighted a charitable message with a toilet.
In April he and other Oxford church leaders crammed into a portable lavatory in Bonn Square, Oxford, to highlight the lack of proper sanitation in the developing world.
The stunt was organised to promote the Christian Aid Week charity appeal.
The Toilet Twinning initiative was launched two years ago by the charities Cord and Tearfund.
Since then more than 1,500 latrines have been built in Burundi – providing safe loos for at least 9,000 people Campaign manager Cherie McClintock said: “Toilet twinning is a unique way of supporting people for whom good, clean, safe sanitation is a luxury, not a given.
“We’re delighted that the bishop has twinned his toilet.”
Every minute, three children under the age of five die because of poor sanitation or dirty water. More than 433 million school days are lost each year because of waterborne diseases.
The charity estimates that for every £1 spent on sanitation, at least £9 is saved in health, education and economic development.
For £60, people can twin a toilet at home, work or school with a latrine in Burundi.
- To find out how to twin a loo, visit toilettwinning.org
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