Why Harpic Donated Mobile Toilet to Idi-Araba Community

Harpic Battles lack of Functional toilet with donation of mobile toilets to Idi-Araba Community One of the major concerns for a megacity like Lagos is the issue of functional toilet facilities and waste management. One statistics has it that Lagos is home to close to 20 million Nigerians! As a result of this huge population, some citizens defecate in the open in some neighborhood. This nauseating habit has been fingered in the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhea.
In order to help stop this habit, Harpic in Collaboration with UNIC(United Nations Information Centre) with the support of some government ministries celebrated the World Toilet Day by propagating the need to maintain proper toilet hygiene linking the idea to the world wide theme on Sanitation and Nutrition which was celebrated Worldwide on November 19, 2015.

There was a walk through the Idi-Araba area in Mushin Local Government to create awareness for proper toilet hygiene.After the walk, there was enlightenment on how to maintain clean toilet.

For the citizens and invited guest who converged at Idi-Araba Community School, it was a day to join force to address negative habit of open defecation and Harpic made donation of two mobile toilets to the Idi-Araba community.

RB’s Marketing Director, West Africa, Mr. Oguzhan Silivrili who spoke at the Idi-Araba Community and Idi-Araba School Complex, Mushin, Lagos – venue of the event – said the enlightenment becomes necessary because open defecation has a ripple effect to the larger society as it affects the healthy living conditions resulting in increased Child Mortality, Cholera, Diahoerria in addition to its considerable social costs which include loss of dignity or risk of physical attack and sexual abuse. As a result, Nigeria Loses N455bln annually which is 1.3% of the Nigeria’s GDP to poor sanitation and hygiene which increases the risk of disease and malnutrition.

Message from the United Nations Secretary General, Dr. Ban Ki Moon was delivered by the UNIC Director, Mr. Ronald Kayanja while a brief pictorial presentation of the Sustainable Development Goals in relation to sanitation/WTD was equally presented.

This day is significant to generate more awareness that open defecation not only has higher costs than any other sanitation practice, it has considerable adverse social impacts. Harpic has undertaken to create proactive awareness on sanitation anchored on the World Toilet Day.

RB’s Vision for Nigeria is where people are healthier and live better and RB will continue on making difference by giving Nigerians innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes. Harpic, one of RB’s power brands has consistently put on the front burner the importance of having access to clean toilet and the potential health implications as well as the vulnerability it poses, especially to Women and Children.