How you can help save the world by changing the way you shop.

What can you do in two minutes?

Make noodles? Clean the toilet? Make a cup of tea? Read the news headlines online? Put a load of washing on?

It’s such a tiny, insignificant period of time – but what astounds me is that in that small two-minute period, somewhere in the world, a child will have died from a diarrhoea-related disease.

In the two minutes it takes you to read this, a precious child has died from something that is totally preventable.

In the two minutes it takes to browse your emails, another child has died.

Again – totally preventable.

Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of child deaths in the world after pneumonia, taking the lives of more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.

Every two minutes a child under the age of five dies from diarrhoea in the developing world.

Diarrhoea is caused by poor sanitation and the shocking fact is that 35 per cent of the world’s population has no access to even basic sanitation.

Statistics like this are hard to grasp sometimes in our busy lives.

Such a basic fundamental day-to-day thing that we don’t even give a second thought to – the toilet.

But UNICEF says that for the 2.4 billion people (that is BILLION) who do not have access to a toilet, defecating is forced to be done in the open – in fields, bushes, or bodies of water.

It is not only unsanitary and humiliating, it also puts them in danger of attack. And this disproportionately affects women and children.

Do you think to yourself, like I used to, that there is so much poverty and hardship in the world that I can’t make a difference? Do you wonder what you can do, and then just feel hopeless?

Well, I have just found out that we actually can help. You and I.

UNICEF is fighting this global crisis through their sanitation programmes, promoting good hygiene practices and supporting access to toilets. Domestos has partnered with UNICEF to help make these changes happen.

You know Domestos, the stuff we all use to protect our homes against germs. Now, Domestos is doing its bit to protect the world against the germs that cause diarrhoea and save lives.

Every specially marked bottle of Domestos will directly donate to UNICEF.

And Domestos has created other ways you can get involved – on the Domestos website there is an online toolkit that you can use to help tell your mothers’ group, your office, your friends, even your kids about the crisis – and how they can help.

You can donate directly to UNICEF via the Domestos website and use the fundraising ideas provided to really boost your efforts. And we can all talk about it to get this issue known and help change lives.

Domestos is on a mission – and it makes me feel like we, as mothers, as sisters, as aunties and daughters, should join as well. The mission is to combat poor sanitation and help 25 million people gain improved access to a toilet by 2020.

That is only five years away.

2.4 billion people without a toilet.

And every two minutes a child tragically dying.

It is a lot of statistics, so take two minutes to think about it and let’s spread the word together.

How do you make a difference in your daily life?

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