Get ready for bathroom puns. The World Toilet Organization, which does exist, is looking to raise $30,000 to build a toilet facility in an underprivileged South African school. The timing is no coincidence, either, since the WTO is hoping consumers will use some of their Black Friday money on a charitable initiative that embraces the brown. The WTO asks you to “Give a shit” by donating to their Indiegogo campaign that runs till early January.
Cute jokes aside, the campaign is much more necessary than you may expect. After all, many of us take school bathrooms for granted. But according to the WTO’s data, two-thirds of the 24,000 South African public schools do not have proper toilet facilities. What does that mean exactly? Well, the schools average three stalls for 800 students. And, because of the sanitation issues, 57% of girls skip school during menstruation. The WTO is hoping their efforts will erode the educational gender gap, one toilet at a time. Their plan calls for 10 facilities to be built by the end of 2014. So, if you’re about to flush down some cash on a Cyber Monday deal for a sweater or whatever, maybe you can donate your savings toward a new toilet.