Why we talk (a lot) about building toilets

What do we really mean when we say our toilet paper helps build toilets? Obviously your toilet paper doesn’t end up in someone else’s bathroom with a tiny hammer and some copper pipes. That would be ridiculous. And disgusting. But also really cute? We digress. 

“A dollar invested in sanitation yields $4.30 in increased economic prosperity.”

The point is, we donate 50% of our profits to charitable organisations that do all sorts of incredible work, including building toilets for the billions of people who still don’t have access to one.

Why don’t we build the toilets ourselves?

We have weak hands. 

Also, when flush comes to shove, being obsessed with toilets doesn’t make us the experts. We work with our particular partner organisations because we know our dollars have the greatest impact in their hands.

We trust that our partner organisations know how to best improve global access to proper sanitation – that means our donation could go to building toilets, but could also mean it supports larger clean water projects or just the administrative costs of running a nonprofit. It all depends on what specific organisations think their communities need most.

So why toilets? 

It all comes down to three things: health, economics and dignity.

Loos, dunnys, johns – no matter what you call them, even the most simple latrine is a proven tool to protect people from serious illness. They keep waste out of water streams, preventing all sorts of nasty situations. Yet, 1 in 3 people doesn’t have access to any kind of toilet. That’s right, 1 in 3.

To put it into perspective, a child under five dies every two minutes from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. It’s truly terrible, but we work our hardest to do something about it.

“Imagine what your life would be like without a toilet.”

The health benefits are clear, but in case that wasn’t enough, it’s been shown that a dollar invested in sanitation yields $4.30 in increased economic prosperity. When people don’t get debilitatingly sick, there’s reduced healthcare cost for both individual and society and greater productivity and community involvement. This is especially true for kids – with long term diarrhea, children can experience stunted growth that keeps them from advancing in school. When a generation is unable to advance, it has serious effects on the community.  

Health and economics are really important, but we can’t forget the human element. Imagine what your life would be like without a toilet. Pretty unpleasant, right? Toilets aren’t just about saving lives and improving economic conditions — they’re a matter of basic dignity, and we think everyone on earth deserves access.

That’s why we’re so passionate about what we do. It’s a whole lot more than just toilet paper.

Ok, but you haven’t told me how someone actually builds a toilet

You’re right! Mostly because toilets can look super different based on where they live.

Sometimes they look like this:

Ada Luz took WaterAid’s mason training and is building toilets like nobody’s business in her hometown of Arenas Blancas, Nicaragua. Photo:WaterAid/Eduardo Rodriguez

Sometimes they’re just something like this:

Simon Griffiths, our CEO holding a toilet while on a trip to East Timor.

Here’s one our team helped paint: 

The Who Gives A Crap team is super proud of their loo in Cambodia.

But if you want to get a real behind-the-pipes look, check out this awesome video from one of our partners, WaterAid America.

Want in on the action? 

Nice! It couldn’t be easier to get involved. Just pick up a box of loo roll! After all, the more your wipe, the more toilets we can help build. And by “help build toilets,” we mean… Oh wait, we just went over that.