Pop a Squat...

...in public.

Today is World Toilet Day! I learned of this in an email I received this morning. So, I started doing a little research.

Here's what I've learned:

• The World Toilet Organization has been around since 2001.
• 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation.
• 1.8 million people die from fecally-transmitted diseases every year.
• 1 out of 5 children die of diarrheal disease.
• More than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated into lakes, rivers and coastal areas. Water which flows into your lakes, your kitchens.
• The water and sanitation crisis has claimed more lives than all the wars of the 20th century, combined.
• The first toilet was invented by Sir John Harrington in the 1500s.
• Toilet paper was invented by the Chinese around 50 BC.
  

Having traveled to some remote areas of Honduras a couple of times, I have experienced less than desirable accommodations, recognizing that we take "modern" convenience for granted. Even doing so, I never considered what it might be like to live in an environment with absolutely no sanitation. I think this spoke to me even more than my own experience in Honduras:

"modesty forces women to poop in the fields before sunrise, or to hold it until after the sun sets. Imagine if you weren't allowed to relieve yourself during daylight hours, no matter how bad you wanted to go! What's more, many cases of rape occur in these dark and deserted areas."

I just can't begin to imagine. So, when you flush today, do so with gratitude and thanksgiving and say a prayer for those with no place to poo...

Oh, and go here for details on squatting in public!