22 December 2010

The Bishop of Oxford has gone potty for poverty by twinning his toilet with a loo in a remote village in Africa.

The Right Reverend John Pritchard has linked the smallest room in his home with a latrine in Burundi.

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 imaginitive toilet twinning campaign.”

The Bishop pledged £60 to twin a loo. The money raised is used to build a safe and clean toilet, as well as improve sanitation and hygiene for thousands of families through projects to supply clean water.

Taking pride of place in Bishop Pritchard’s toilet is a picture of the twinned toilet in Burundi, complete with the GPS coordinates which enables visitors to pinpoint the twinned loo on Google maps.

Cherie McClintock, Toilet Twinning manager says, “Toilet Twinning is a unique way of supporting people for whom good, clean, safe sanitation is a luxury - not a given. We are delighted that Bishop John has twinned his toilet.

“Thanks to people’s generosity we have built 1,500 latrines in Burundi, helping over 9,000 people to go to the loo in a safe, private and hygienic way.”

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.

Improving basic sanitation pays dividends, as for every £1 spent on sanitation at least £9 is saved in health, education and economic development.

To twin a toilet visit www.toilettwinning.org