By Heath F. Carelock
Special to ASSIST News Service
LITTLE ROCK, AR (ANS) -- I just want the Lord to be able to use me.
So, why is World Toilet Day (WTD) necessary? This may seem to be a strange question to ask of those of us living in a Western country, but for the huge number of people around the world living in such terrible conditions; it is a necessary event because there are 2.6 billion people without access to sanitation.
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| Heath Carelock |
One of the only ways to address this challenge in the social realm is through public awareness that changes public will and changes public policy, with money and production of sanitation resources to follow these greater changes. WTD is necessary because people's dignity is on the line who don't have toilets, and the humanity of people who can afford toilets is also on the line.
Another detail often missed is that because people lack sanitation, diseases are more common and threatening among these populations, such that over 1 million children die each year from diarrheal infections and complications.
Mr. Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organization, began World Toilet Day because of these challenges. He wanted the event to catch on like Earth Day and other signature days like Valentine's Day. For Jack, it is important that the idea of WTD grows to a tipping point that people hold their governments responsible for solutions to solve this solvable problem.
Personally, this issue with toilets and sanitation, I liken to the Luke 15: 8-10 parable of the lost coins, where a woman lost a coin and desperately sought out to find it. One sinner who repents is a beautiful, holy, and redemptive thing. In terms of world problems, this is very much the case: there's a large part of the world with relative prosperity and technologies. But, we've lost a coin here amongst our toiletless brethren. We've lost a coin and we have to ask ourselves like the woman in the parable, "Do we not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until we find it?"
We're losing our fellow man and his children and we have to find a way to bring this lost coin to the others; bring this toiletless generation back to a standard of life we keep ourselves. Most of these populations, if invited to understand the advantages and goodness of better sanitation quality will choose it, despite their familiarity with their status quo.
WTD is a day when we can recognize the lost coins among us and not only empathize with them, but demonstrate that one of life's common denominators is in relieving ourselves of waste. Since we all do this, we should all have dignity doing it and the technology of a toilet and sanitation system to keep us from the pathogens and illnesses that lurk.
Over 1 billion people are without toilets, openly defecating in rivers and fields or next to their huts, cottages, or shelter, often hiding behind bushes and objects to do so. WTD is a day to act and a day to plan for. Dives did nothing for the beggar Lazarus and wound up in hell. Let us have no Dives characteristics, allowing the sores of Lazarus to be licked by dogs. The toiletless population is at our gate; let us respond to the remorseful Dives, who reminded us from his spot in Hell, "if someone from the dead goes to us, they will repent." We have that someone in us as Christians today. This same Jesus who said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least among you, you did not do for me." WTD is a combative time which gives us the conditions to do for the toiletless among us.
How I got involved:
Proverbs states: "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established ... [and,] The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (P 19:21 & 16:9). When my wife and I arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas last August, we decided on a cable package with Comcast. Once that got up and running, I paced through the expanse of channels and fell upon Al Gore's CurrentTV. I had always enjoyed documentary shows, and found this amazing program called Vanguard.
Enter Vanguard's "World Toilet Crisis" episode. At the beginning of my University of Arkansas-Clinton School of Public Service experience, on Aug. 28, 2010, I sat there watching this incredible documentary that suddenly escaped reason. With no warning, the documentary approached my conscience at the speed of conviction, slapping me with accountability, driving the prospects of responsiveness into my mind's eye.
I made the statement, "If this Clinton School education is good for anything, it's worth helping out on this." Helping these people get their dignity, and exhausting myself to understand and act was the quiet focus of both semesters at the Clinton School. It got so interesting watching the documentary that when I had to step outside our home for another engagement, I asked my wife to finish watching it for me, giving her the specific request to "get that guy's information if they show him again."
The guy was Mr. Jack Sim, an Ashoka Fellow and the self-proclaimed "Toilet Man," he is the founder of a handful of social enterprises, including the World Toilet Organization, which is based in Singapore. Mr. Sim had a very impressive appearance on the CurrentTV special led by Adam Yamaguchi, whose investigative journalist skills were on full display in the episode. Yamaguchi went so far--at one point--as to take his bare hand and pick up human waste that had gathered for days. Yamaguchi's remarkable exposure to the elements added to the effects the broadcast had on me. Sim's input in the piece was convincing because of his purpose in the worldwide sanitation effort, and his efforts to get people toilets and get the message out about the scale of the problem.
But why the name "toilet crisis"? Once I began to see how people in the documentary were defecating in rivers, fields, beside railroad tracks, and outside their shelter with no toilet in plain sight, it broke my heart. My heart broke harder when I saw so much defecation in one river in India, the Yamuna River, that it not only turned jet black, but bubbled with methane gas like some scene out of a cartoon over exaggerating the scary villain's quarters. I longed for something to grip my faith and humanity. I had to understand the toilet crisis for myself.
I went to the web page that my wife took down for me. I went to the "contact us" link. I wrote a message to "Whom it may concern." I proceeded to explain my reflection of the documentary, then spelling out my graduate project requirements for a time almost a year away. Within 12 hours I received a response from the then executive director, Geraldine Ang. She revealed interest, the potential for partnership, and the commitment to future follow-ups. For the next 4 months, Geraldine took my e-mails and occasional phone calls. When Jan. 14, 2011, came around, Mr. Jack Sim e-mailed me personally, stating the most welcoming of words, "I'd like to offer some mentorship for you learning as well."
Once that was said, I knew I had a home in Singapore. Jack invited me to a Skype chat. We went for over 2 hours and my excitement broadened. I asked him to explain more of their work in sanitation. He spoke of issues pertaining to public health. Instantly, I thought of my classmate, who is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree from UAMS in Little Rock.
I inquired if she was looking for a summer project, later telling her of the opportunity. She was interested. I wrote an e-mail introducing Jack to my classmate. We eventually held a Skype conversation with Jack together, each focusing on vastly different projects, but united on responding to the Millennium Development Goals on sanitation. Jack would send me reading material, web sites, and personal sources and ideas, I would report back to him. Eventually, I would interact with staff and craft my project goals. It became more and more exhilarating as the days closed in on my arrival to Singapore. Throughout the Spring semester, much of what I learned I stored away, hoping it would be an enabling force in the International Public Service Project (IPSP, a required professional internship for graduate credit: 10 weeks to 3 months). Jack's empowering commitment to me deepened my burden for the issue and drew upon my sense of loyalty, enhancing my attraction to public service.
As you read this, the World Toilet Organization-through their SaniShop, their ongoing micro-enterprise operation-has produced 6,000 squat toilets in Cambodia. The idea was to create a toilet where two pits could be established: one active, the other inactive (drying). The inactive, or drying, pit would become the manure pit, which could safely be removed after drying.
There are options being considered like the urine-feces separating toilet (urine diversion toilet) and the composting toilet. The bottom line of course is cost per unit of production, and whether it can be turned into a business for and by those subjected to the worst sanitation conditions.
In closing, when the Lord created grace, he had me in mind. It's a small world after all, especially when you can see someone on a broadcast from the other side of the world, and then find yourself as their mentee. This is a story of possibility, gratefulness, follow-through, relationship, and calling. I thrived there! With the chance already this summer to have gone to India and Vietnam, carrying an insight enriched by a documentary I'd seen almost a year ago, I've been able to consider new possibility for people in these places. I am empowered, now I empower!
