Commercial, a business services specialist, has announced that it will support a water and sanitation programme, run by Tearfund, and twin each of its 23 toilets with a toilet in Malawi.
The Toilet Twinning initiative raises funds to address the sanitation crisis affecting a third of the global population. Around 2.3 billion people don’t have access to safe, clean toilet facilities, which can result in serious illness.
Commercial chose Malawian toilets to twin with in order to build on existing links with the country. Some of Commercial’s suppliers source raw materials in Malawi, plus the business has previously donated refurbished IT equipment via IT Schools Africa. It is among the least developed countries in the world, with 62% living below the poverty line.
Simone Hindmarch-Bye, co-founder of Commercial, commented on the venture: “Having somewhere clean and safe to go to the loo should be a basic human right, but many people don’t have proper access to a toilet. Toilet Twinning makes a tangible difference to communities suffering from the consequences of poor sanitation. A primary goal of our sustainability strategy is to support programmes delivering social benefits in countries where our good originate. Twinning with toilets in Malawi is a simple but effective way to achieve this, while reminding ourselves of the things we take for granted.”
Toilet Twinning CEO, Lorraine Kingsley, added: “When people are restored to full health, their capacity to work and earn increases and they can start to take their first big steps out of poverty. And because we train communities to build their own toilets, toilets can restore dignity and confidence too. So, we are hugely grateful for Commercial’s generous support.”
Be the first to comment