World Toilet Day

November 19 was World Toilet Day. You think the next part involves a sailor walking into a bar. It's a deadly serious affair, though -- among other statistics it has to share, the World Toilet Organization says, "Over a billion of the 6 billion people in the world are served by sewerage systems but much of this sewerage is discharged into rivers, lakes and the sea with little or no treatment." And the World Health Organization (WHO) tells us that 1.6 million children die each year from diarrhea.

World Toilet Day is an opportunity to shed some light on the world's sewage situations that should be of concern to global-thinking citizens -- you can get involved with a myriad of field projects through the World Toilet Organization. Learn more:

• World Toilet Organization and WTO volunteer projects
• International Year of Sanitation
• Toilets Around the World for Travelers

Related: Travel Health | Avoiding Waterborne Illnesses Abroad | Volunteer Travel

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