14.05.2013
Then come to our next Sanitation Training Course (SanABC) which will take place in Berlin, June 22/23. Primarily, it is aimed at persons working in the NGO sector but also other interested persons can attend this weekend course.
Furthermore, we would like to welcome you to our other training courses:
- HygieneABC (hygiene education seminar): Hamburg, June 01/02.
- SanABCplus (advanced sanitation training): expected to be held in July.
For more information please click here.
We look forward to receiving your application!
25.04.2013
Today, the winners of this year’s national school competition “Toiletten machen Schule” were celebrated on the occasion of the trade fair “Wasser Berlin International 2013”.
There were four main prizes, going to the primary schools Wellesweiler (federal state of Saarland), Quentin Blake Europe School and Schule am Weißen See (both from Berlin). The secondary school Ernst-Reuter-Gesamtschule (federal state of Lower Saxony) also won one of the main prizes. In addition, eight other schools received special awards (see below for a list of the winners and jury statements).
Congrats to all winners! Last but not least, many thanks to all who have invested their energy in working full of vim and vigour on the issue of school toilets!
Press Photos (awards ceremony)
Press Photos (main prize schools)
List of the winners and jury statements (in German)
17.04.2013
Taking part in our competition, seventy-nine schools from various federal states in Germany have launched initiatives to improve their school toilet. A jury - consisting of sanitary experts from the GTO, representatives of their partners and the Berlin pupil representative Sascha Schneider - has chosen four winners.
On April 25, they will be honoured at the trade fair “Wasser Berlin International 2013“. The prizewinners can look forward to a renovation and refurbishment of washrooms and toilets, one for girls and boys each.
Download Press Invitaton [german only]
10.04.2013
Our next training course will be held in June. The hygiene education seminar HygieneABC will take place in Hamburg, June 01/02. Moreover, the seminar SanABCplus is expected to be held in July. We look forward to receiving your application!
For more information please click here.
22.03.2013
Having given a press conference, the GTO and about 200 school students met with Minister Niebel (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) in front of the Berlin Brandenburger Tor. In order to draw attention to the 783 million people living without access to safe drinking water, the Federal Minister was handed over a bottle filled with “dirty water”. Subsequently, the students performed a water walk to the train station Friedrichstraße and took a loud stand for sanitation and safe drinking water. Thanks to all the participants for having made a noise for this cause!
The following links will lead you to the press release as well as some photos of our big day.
12.03.2013
Having become tradition, the GTO will seek to make a statement on World Water Day - 22nd March - concerning worldwide drinking water and sanitation poverty. To this end, Berlin school students and the GTO will present dirty water to federal minister Niebel in an attempt to underline that almost 1 billion people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion people lack appropriate sanitation. In the afternoon, the GTO and its WASH network partners will participate in a 6km symbolic water walk.
10.30am Brandenburger Tor - 12.30pm train station Friedrichstraße
GTO school event - including the presence of federal minister Niebel at the Brandenburger Tor as from 10:45am. Starting 11.15am, about 150 students and GTO members will perform a water walk from Brandenburger Tor to Dorothea-Schlegel-Platz (train station Friedrichstraße).
3pm Dorothea Schlegel Platz - 6pm Wassertorplatz
Demonstration #LassLaufen ("Lets Walk") organised by our partner Viva con Agua – a 6km walk from Dorothea-Schlegel-Platz to the Kreuzberg district. You will find more information using this link.
24.01.2013
As an independent precursor to our school contest "Toiletten machen Schule", the Berlin Wilhelm-Ostwald-School proclaimed an internal Creativity Contest as early as in 2012. This was in order to put an end to the disgraceful state of their toilets. Students were able to develop several proposals, of which the best were implemented.
While Gina Braumann and Anthony Krüger were pointed out as the winners of the competition, the implementation of their concepts took about four weeks. As part of the inauguration ceremony, the German Toilet Organization could take a look at the sparklingly clean, student-friendly toilets on 22 January 2013. The stylish rest rooms with their combination of cool graffiti and a modern touch are now open for the students to use.
10.01.2013
The GTO-Team wishes you all a successful new year! The first training courses will start in February. There will be a basic course SanABC in Hamburg and also a Hygiene ABC in Cologne. We look forward to your applicaton!
More information can be found here.
19.11.2012
World Toilet Day: the German Toilet Organization proclaims a nationwide competition for pupils for the improvement of toilets and washrooms in German schools.
We want to invite the press to an early launch of the competition "Toiletten machen Schule" in form of a press conference on 16.11 - and obviously friends of the GTO are welcome as well!
"Schule machen" literally translates to "make school" but also means "set an example".
Press invitation (only in German)
13.11.2012
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Thank you for your donation!
9.11.2012
The GTO was represented again at Benbi (Berliner entwicklungspolitisches Bildungsprogramm) - the Berlin development political education program - from 05.-09. November.
The topic this year was "Planet kostbar - Wie isst die Welt?" Planet valuable - how does the world eat? ("kostbar" translates to valuable but "kost" for itself also means "food". "Isst" translates to "eats" but when pronounced also sounds like "ist" which simply means "is".)
Together with pupils and with the help of pictures, posters and films we worked out what toilets have to do with food and nutrition.
Together we looked at the everyday life of children in other countries:
How are germs transmitted?
What does is mean not to have access to a toilet?
What are the problems we face and what do they have to do with the toilet?
How can we build a compost toilet?
What is the link between food and natural fertilizers?
07.11.2012
15.10.2012
Around the world, over 200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries. We were part of it: together with 100 pupils we were on the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, demonstrating "Handwashing with soap - health care no. 1". Worlwide 3.600 children die every day due to diarrheal diseases, and even here about one third of people don't wash their hands after the visit to the toilet.
In the projec „Klobalisierte Welt“ (a word play on globalised world) pupils from four different schools in Berlin thought up creative installations on the theme of handwashing. The go to show that handwashing with soap and toilets are essential to a healthy life. The handwashing constructions invited participation, foto collages stimulate thought and balloons resemble oversized soap bubbles.
Ermöglicht durch die Unterstützung von BMZ, LEZ und CWS-boco.
03.09.2012
Thanks to everyone who supported our Guts for Change Project so far! The first goal, to collect 10.000 € for toilets in India, has been reached!! The teammember of Guts for Change are in Iran at the moment and will probably reach Garade, India, beginning of october. If we manage to collect another 5000 € till then, we would be able to build up 15 more toilets than already planned.
Please also check our Facebook Page to be up to dat!
29.08.2012
Annina Bornstein likes our work and wanted to support us.
She decided to make this great movie which explains the importance of toilets.
Thanks a lot for the work and the commitment.
have fun and watch the movie...
12.07.2012
Finally: the WASH network is publishing a position paper together with VENRO on the topic WASH.
As a member of the WASH network and the NGO alliance VENRO, the GTO helped to put together this paper. On just seven pages we go to show why water, sanitary supply and hygiene are a human right and what we and politicians can contribute to supplying everyone with water and sanitary facilities and to help internalise and implement principles of hygiene.
Finally new and old merchandising products have been delivered. In addition to our old products we have have now expanded our stocks with baby clothing and shirts for women.
To see all our products, which will also support our projects, click here:
