Local MP Fiona Bruce Meets WaterAid Activist to “Talk Toilets”
Local MP for the Congleton Constituency, Fiona Bruce, met with WaterAid activist Mark Barker today (Friday 6th December) at a toilet factory in Middlewich, to discuss the fact that 2.5 billion people throughout the world do not have access to a safe, clean and private toilet.
Sandbach resident Mark Barker is an active speaker for international charity WaterAid. He approached his local MP to set up the meeting, and what more fitting place to “talk toilets” than in a local toilet factory in her Constituency!
The meeting follows World Toilet Day which was officially recognised by the UN for the first time this year. The day was created to raise global awareness of the struggle faced by the one in three people in the world, currently living without access to a safe, clean and private toilet. Every day, 2,000 children under the age of five die from disease brought about by because of a lack of access to clean water and improved sanitation.
WaterAid is calling on International Development Secretary of State Justine Greening MP to continue the UK Government’s leadership in the global water and sanitation sector. They are asking her to attend the International 2014 Sanitation and Water for All Meeting. WaterAid hopes that this meeting will have a real and lasting impact, focusing on the concrete actions needed to deliver safe water and toilets to everyone, everywhere by 2030.
Fiona Bruce MP said:
“Around 2000 people die every day, many of them children, from diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation which is why this issue is so critical.
Back in 2011, I met with the Stephen O’Brien MP, then responsible Minister at the Department for International Development and pressed the Government for the first time to send Minister to the Sanitation and Water for All international meeting in April 2012 in Washington DC. I was therefore delighted that the Secretary of State for International Development attended this high level meeting at which the Government announced it would double the UK’s commitment to water and sanitation in countries needing it most.
The UK Government has therefore demonstrated tremendous global leadership in helping to provide access to clean drinking water, improve access to effective sanitation and provide basic hygiene education, such as the importance of hand washing and the dangers of open defecation, for 60 million people by 2015.
I commend WaterAid for their effective campaigning in this regard and join with them in pressing for the current International Development Secretary of State, Justine Greening MP, to continue the UK’s global leadership by attending the next Sanitation and Water for All meeting in 2014.”
Mark Barker, WaterAid activist said:
“Fiona has consistently supported Water Aid throughout her time as our local MP and I was very pleased that once again she agreed to meet me to confirm her continuing support for Water Aid’s mission to provide sanitation and water for all – this will only really be achieved with the active support from the UK and MPs like Fiona Bruce, who has spoken about this in Parliament, has proved critical to the impact Water Aid’s work has had in recent years.”
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