World Toilet Day is November 19th

Poorly built toilets and sewage systems are a major cause of illness and groundwater contamination. As clean water becomes more scarce, disposing of human waste in ways that do not cause more water contamination becomes increasingly important.

Human waste (feces and urine) can pollute water, food, and soil with germs and worms, leading to serious health problems. The safe disposal of human waste (sanitation) by building and maintaining toilets and washing hands prevents the spread of germs and is necessary for good health.
Whether your community uses pit toilets, toilets that turn human waste into fertilizer (ecological sanitation), toilets that flush human wastes and water (sewage), or another type of toilet, the main goal is to prevent human waste from contaminating drinking water, food, and our hands. Just as important as a safe and comfortable toilet is a way to wash hands after using it. Safe toilets and hand washing together can prevent most of the illnesses that come from germs in human waste.
Over 2.4 billion people around the world lack toilets, which means they lack access to good sanitation which helps them avoid disease in their homes, their communities and their water systems. 

It means that they struggle to avoid illness when they go out to relieve themselves, and if they're sick they struggle even harder to get well. It means that women risk violence every time they look for a quiet, private place to go.

Maybe if we forced our government leaders to dig their own latrines - and use and clean them - they'd develop the political will to solve the essentially simple problem of lack of access to sanitation. Until that happens, we can provide people with the knowledge to build and maintain healthy sanitation systems.