Hi Elisabeth,

Thanks for following up, and for the SuSanA's help in sharing this event.

I put together a short summary for contributors that I was meaning to share on this thread.

The feedback I have received about this project has been overwhelmingly positive. For me, the biggest win was the quality and range of the talks. Available here .

I have looked at the website analytics data during the main run of Toilet Talks

From November 8- 20 the Toilet Talks website received 820 visits from 662 visitors. 56% accessed the site with a desktop or laptop computer and 42% with smart phones. The biggest referrals to the site were most likely through the shared emails. Other direct referrals came from Facebook, Twitter, the World Toilet Day website, and the SuSanA forum. Interactions with the Toilet Talks website really did span the globe, seeing visitors from 63 different countries across 6 continents. The top ten countries of origin for visitors were: The United States, India, Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Argentina, Austria, and The Dominican Republic. The map attached shows regional geographic of traffic to the website.

So was it a success? Initially, I had no real expectations as to whether this initiative would sink or swim. Remember, Toilet Talks had no budget, The only real cost was my time. The poster was produced for free by my institute, and the only other expenses were the 30 Euros I paid myself to upgrade the free Wix website and obtain analytics for one month. Considering also that Toilet Talks did not have it's own social media, it's spread was really all thanks to third parties. So overall, I have to say that it exceeded my expectations.

In this accompanying article which was published on World Toilet Day, I float the idea of running Toilet Talks again, perhaps for Menstrual Hygiene Day in May 2020. Overall, I think this is a simple and accessible format that can be repeated for little cost. I also think this project can be expanded and improved on. If anyone is interested in discussing some ideas for future Toilet Talks, then please get in touch.

Finally, if anyone reading this was able to put up the posters at workplaces or educational institutions, then please email me a photo as I am hoping to put these up on the website.

And thanks again to everyone who listened to a talk.

Marcus Erridge

Hi Marcus,

I just took a look at your website Toilet Talks and saw that you have 11 talks uploaded (each about 3-4 minutes long):
marcuserridge9.wixsite.com/toilettalks

I am just wondering how you feel about this event in hindsight - did you get the participation and impact that you wished for? Any side effects or new connections that you made? I liked that you tried out a new format.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear all,

I am pleased to announce the launch of Toilet Talks!

Toilet Talks is a week-long virtual event (Nov 12-19) showcasing a series of short (3-5 min) audio stories relating to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), human rights, what 'leaving no one behind' means and the ‘social, economic and environmental consequences of inaction’ – the theme of World Toilet Day 2019 .

Access the website here and listen to a wide range of informative talks:

Posters advertising Toilet Talks (attached) are intended to be placed in public bathrooms at workplaces and academic institutions for the week preceding World Toilet Day on November 19th. Posters include a smartphone-readable barcode which links to the Toilet Talks website. The idea being to scan the posters and choose from a selection of Toilet Talks to listen to later on, or ‘in situ’!

Please share links to this online event using the social media links at the foot of the homepage. If you are in a position to print and put up the posters as well – then please do so - and thank you!

Thanks to the all the contributors and supporters who have shared a talk and helped spread the word about this project for World Toilet Day.

I hope you enjoy these Toilet Talks.

Best wishes,

Marcus Erridge
PhD student Human Rights in Contemporary Societies
University of Coimbra, Centre for Social Studies
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Dear colleagues,

If you would like to say something about your work - a new innovation, the results of a study, or perhaps the outcome of a project - or have a message relating to the theme of World Toilet Day 2019 you would like to share, then please consider recording a short Toilet Talk.

We are hoping to add a wide range of different voices (in the form of 3-5 minute audio files) to the website, which will be as a week-long virtual event to run from 12-19 November, with posters and a website will be circulated online.

The deadline for submitting a talk is October 31st.

The University of Coimbra's Centre for Social Studies are supporting this project. See this thread for more information, and please contact me with any questions or ideas.

Best wishes,

Marcus
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Hi everyone,

We are seeking more 'Toilet Talk' submissions for this World Toilet Day project. For anyone interested in contributing a talk, it’s designed to be a very easy process. All that's needed is a 3-5 minute mp3 audio file, a bio of 50-60 words, and a head-shot picture.

Further information here: marcuserridge9.wixsite.com/toilettalks/find-out-more

The aim of the talks is to provide different perspectives relating to the theme of WTD 2019 – ‘leaving no-one behind’ and the human right to sanitation.

The talks (audio recordings) will be published on an easily shareable online platform with an accompanying poster for public bathrooms.

Please get in touch via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in taking part.

Thanks and best wishes,

Marcus

Dear colleagues,

I am seeking collaborators for a week-long virtual event to run from November 12th to 19th 2019. The concept is ‘Toilet Talks’ - an online platform where you can listen to short (3-5 minute-long) talks relating to the theme of World Toilet Day 2019 ‘leaving no-one behind’.

The University of Coimbra’s Centre for Social Studies are supporting this project, which is intended to raise awareness around WTD and provide a platform for different voices to share their takes on what 'leaving no one behind' means and the ‘social, economic and environmental consequences of inaction’.

Toilet Talks will ideally contain contributions from WASH professionals, academics, and students that discuss issues around discrimination, marginalisation, and WASH access related to SDG Target 6.2 . We are also interested in other related topics around gender equality and access, intersectionality, and the human rights to water and sanitation. If you have other ideas - then please get in touch.

Audio files will be uploaded to the Toilet Talks website (currently under development here ), along with short profiles of contributors. Posters advertising the talks and WTD will be circulated in pdf, published online, and are intended to be put up in public bathrooms at workplaces and academic institutions for the week of November 12-19th. Posters will include a smartphone-readable barcode and links to the Toilet Talks website.

The deadline for submitting your Toilet Talk is October 31st. For anyone interested in contributing a talk, it’s designed to be a very easy process. Please see here for instructions and kindly direct any questions by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks and best wishes,

Marcus Erridge
ces.uc.pt/en/ces/pessoas/doutorandas-os/marcus-guy-erridge