Harvest Festival to raise funds for Tearfund Toilet Twinning
2 billion people in the world do not have somewhere safe and hygienic to go to the toilet.
Reepham PCC has pledged to donate the collection from the Harvest Festival on 10th October to the Tearfund Toilet Twinning Project. We hope to raise £120 to twin both toilets in St Michael’s.
The money raised will allow Tearfund partner charity workers in poor countries to gain the trust of communities before educating them about the importance of hygiene. Involving the local people in deciding the design and materials to be used, ensures the latrines are both appropriate and affordable.
Families are given the resources to build their own loo, meaning that they are more likely to continue to use and maintain it. All of which builds dignity and self-respect.
Why do toilets matter?
Without proper toilets and clean water, people are trapped in a vicious cycle:
- They’re likely to become sick through sanitation-related diseases
- Illness means they cannot work or farm their land, so they earn less or grow less food
- Children often miss school, because they are sick or because they’re busy collecting water
- Girls often drop out of school altogether when they start their periods if there are no toilets or changing rooms
- Parents have to pay for medicines or food, so they may fall into debt
- Women and girls risk being attacked or bitten by snakes as they go to the toilet in the open, especially if the culture dictates that they have to go out at night
Water and sanitation projects enable families to build a toilet, have access to clean water, and to learn about handwashing and other hygiene principles. Dignity is restored when the whole family can use a private, hygienic toilet at their home and no longer have to squat in the bush.
Please join us on 10th October at 10.30am in St Mary’s, Reepham and give generously to this important cause. Non-perishable produce collected at the Harvest Festival will be given to the Mid-Norfolk Foodbank.