Shannon Smith 11 December 2015

Toilets + Soil = <3

SOIL celebrated two of our favorite holidays recently: World Toilet Day (November 19) and World Soil Day (December 5). To us, toilets and soil go together like peas in a pod. Many of you know that SOIL uses the natural processes of ecological sanitation in order to transform toilet waste into nutrient rich compost, as shown in the EcoSan Cycle graphic.

Here in Haiti, we celebrated World Toilet Day as a platform to spread the word about Ecological Sanitation. We had a large crowd of over 300 people join us for an event that included DJs, government officials from the Ministry of Public Health, and a theater troupe known as Twoup Djabolo.

Afterwards, we visited a women’s group that invited us to celebrate the day with them. With around 80 participants, we reflected on the theme “Every house with a toilet!” and watched a short film about cholera. Me Daniel Jean-Jacques, an EkoLakay household toilet client, gave a testimony about the importance of toilets. She told the group, “in our neighborhood, there are a lot of problems with sanitation. People don’t have toilets and so they defecate wherever they can, such as in an abandoned house or a plastic bag that they throw out, or by the sea. I thank SOIL for helping this community with the EkoLakay service because it makes an impact on health. It’s important that we participate by telling our neighbors to sign up for an EkoLakay toilet.”

Although the subject matter was serious, we also enjoyed moments of lighthearted fun with the Twoup Djabolo. And of course, no SOIL event is complete without Algate, our Hygiene Promoter, singing her popular EkoLakay song.

While we were busy at these events in Haiti, you were celebrating World Toilet Day with us from abroad! We so appreciate the #Unselfies that you shared on social media in order to spread the world about World Toilet Day and SOIL. Our staff also contributed with the reasons that they are grateful for their EcoSan toilets. We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we do:

[rev_slider Unselfies]

Translations:

Slide 7: My toilet is my pride.
I know the finality of my poop:
-It doesn't contaminate people
-It doesn't contaminate the environment
-but my poop becomes compost that advances agricultural production

Slide 13: I love my toilet because it protects my health and my family's health. Especially in regards health, I would advise everyone to get an EkoLakay toilet.

Slide 14: I love my EkoLakay toilet because it's a great thing. It protects people's health and the environment

Slide 15: I love my toilet because it saves the dignity and prestige of me andmy whole family

As World Soil Day landed on a Saturday this year, SOIL didn’t host local events in Haiti, but Erica Lloyd, the SOIL Systems Director, was delighted to give an interview with “News-O-Matic,” a children’s newspaper read in over 140 countries by elementary and middle school aged kids. As a response, the young News-O-Matic readers submitted creative and impressive drawings that promote the importance of soil health and conservation:

[rev_slider KidsSoil]

Credit goes to the artists: Dominique (age 7), Cecil (age 11), Chevon (age 10), James (age 9), Lanetta (age 9), Madison (age 8), Mia (Age 9), Olivia (age 8), and Savannah (age 9).

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's World Toilet Day and World Soil Day very special for SOIL.