Shoppers Face the Stark Reality of the World’s Most Widely Used Toilet

On the 19th November 2015 shoppers in a London bathroom store were given an unprecedented insight into the lives of approximately 1 billion people when they came face to face with the world’s most widely used toilet. In amongst luxury glass and marble suites they found the ‘Angolan Suite’; a tin shack, dirt floor and piled rubbish. All arranged to reflect an environment of rural Angola.

Unbelievably, 1 in 6 people in the world don’t have access to a toilet. Approximately 1 billion people are forced to go outside, in public, often waiting till night time when they have more privacy but when the risk of attack is much greater. Open defecation like this has catastrophic effects on the spread of life threatening diseases, school attendance and people’s dignity.

Andrex, in partnership with Unicef, are highlighting the stark reality of the sanitation crisis for UK shoppers, bringing to life the situation for children and families in Angola, West Africa. A bathroom store in Kings Cross was rigged with hidden cameras to capture the reactions of genuine shoppers as the store salesman presented suit options ranging from the high end, including must haves of running water and flushable toilets, to the Angolan option topped with dirty floor and open spaces.

Andrex, in partnership with Unicef, are highlighting the stark reality of the sanitation crisis for UK shoppers by bringing to life the situation for families in Angola. The bathroom store (Just Add Water) in Kings Cross was rigged with hidden cameras to capture the reactions of genuine shoppers as the store salesman brought them face to face with the rural Angolan scene.

Upon realisation of the issue, many of the shoppers were in disbelief: “It makes you feel lucky” said one shopper, “A little bit of a wakeup call…it’s something you wouldn’t wish upon anyone really" said another customer –making it clear that this shocking reality goes widely unknown for most of us day to day.

In 2014, Andrex launched a partnership with Unicef to improve sanitation in Angola – a nation badly affected by a lack of basic sanitation – with a community-led programme centred on behaviour change. The programme educates and inspires communities into a collective decision: to build their own toilets. The strength of this approach is that communities are empowered to take matters into their own hands – becoming the drivers for better sanitation conditions. With knowledge and support, families and communities can develop their own clean and safe toilets.

Emma Roy, Associate Brand Manager said; “We wanted to bring this devastating issue to life in a powerful way that would make it relatable for the UK public. At Andrex we’re 100% committed to helping communities in Angola get better access to sanitation and hygiene. Last year we raised £250,000 helping 60,000 children and families in Angola get better access to a toilet. We very much hope to do the same this year and hope the film will bring the reality of the situation to life for the UK public.”