“Toilet: A Love Story” Approximately 300 million people in India are still defecating out in the open, a problem that is depicted in the country’s new blockbuster: “Toilet: A Love Story”, which has been a hit ever since its release. A special screening was organized in Toho Cinemas Roppongi and Jack was invited along to open. “The movie’s story is incredibly simple: a man and women fall in love, and start to live together but they don’t have a toilet. This is of course a big problem for them, so they decide to make their own, but for reason or another it’s no easy task.” Watching this movie and seeing how even in the world today, this kind of thing can happen, will open a lot of eyes.” It’s the sort of movie that could really generate a lot of interest in the global sanitation crisis as well. https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan

World Toilet Forum 2017 Next on Jack’s Japan visit itinerary was the role of guest speaker at LIXIL’s “World Toilet Day Forum 2017”, a lively discussion about the roles that partnerships and innovation can play towards achieving the SDGs. “In a way a toilet is like a partner and it’s hard to imagine life without a partner right?”, Jack explained. He also talked about how he wanted Japan to help solve the world’s sanitation problem by exporting its world class toilet culture, and new events his organization was trying such as a concert in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Jack was joined on the panel by Blue Wing founder, All Nippon Airways’ Fukabori Akira. “While it’s not yet the norm in Japan, for a lot of companies, getting in on the global agenda has become a part of their corporate strategy”. Calling upon his own experience, he talked about the innovations and collaborations, and the energy that comes about through setting a high level global agenda as an objective. The forum closed with an impressive statement from LIXIL’s Jin Song Montesano who said: “small problems can be solved with just a few people, but big problems need everyone to be involved. That’s why partnership is so important.” (I: Ishiyama, J: Jack) I: “We have launched the new model of the Sato, the “V Trap”, in India. What do you think about the work that LIXIL is doing in Bangladesh and India?” J: “Well, thanks to LIXIL, in Bangladesh, open defecation is down from 30% to 3%. This is a big result. It helps that Sato is cheap and well designed.” I: “I’m so happy you think so. What are your plans in India Jack?” J: “Next year we will hold the World Toilet Summit there. Half of the population in India still defecate out in the open which comes with all kinds of problems: it is not safe for women, it is not hygienic, etc. We have to increase the number of toilets. If only toilets were as colorful and fashionable as the Traditional Sari dress, and you could choose your own pattern, then I think people would be more interested in using them and we could make them understand their importance. I am hopeful that Sato can somehow make this happen.” https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan

SATO Developer Mr. Ishiyama Interviews Jack LIXIL has invented an innovative toilet and sanitation products designed for developing countries which they call the “SATO”. Their newest model, the “SATO V Trap”, designed to answer the needs of people in India was unveiled ahead of World Toilet Day. Jack caught up with its Director of product design, Mr.Ishiyama Daigo, at the Icho festival in the gardens of Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine. Jack and Mr.Ishiyama have been friends for a few years now and apparently every meeting turns into a discussion about how to make the most of their short time on the planet. It was a great opportunity to find out what each of them think about the other’s work. (I: Ishiyama, J: Jack) I: “We have launched the new model of the Sato, the “V Trap”, in India. What do you think about the work that LIXIL is doing in Bangladesh and India?” J: “Well, thanks to LIXIL, in Bangladesh, open defecation is down from 30% to 3%. This is a big result. It helps that Sato is cheap and well designed.” I: “I’m so happy you think so. What are your plans in India Jack?” J: “Next year we will hold the World Toilet Summit there. Half of the population in India still defecate out in the open which comes with all kinds of problems: it is not safe for women, it is not hygienic, etc. We have to increase the number of toilets. If only toilets were as colorful and fashionable as the Traditional Sari dress, and you could choose your own pattern, then I think people would be more interested in using them and we could make them understand their importance. I am hopeful that Sato can somehow make this happen.” https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan

WTO Founder Jack Sim visits Japan! Founder of the World Toilet Organization (WTO), Jack Sim is one of the changemakers supported by the BLUE WING Program. BLUE WING was granted full coverage of his very special day trip to Japan, only a day before World Toilet Day! which began at the Icho festival, in the outer gardens of Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine where LIXIL was exhibiting to raise awareness of sanitation problems around the world — with the help of a number of unique attractions such as a transparent toilet cubicle that let you feels what it’s like to defecate out in the open without any privacy. In the afternoon, Jack joined LIXIL’s “World Toilet Day Forum 2017” as guest speaker before going on to open the screening of India’s blockbuster movie: “Toilet: A Love Story”, at Toho Cinemas in Roppongi. The day looked like a bit of a slog, but Jack’s smile never faded, as energetic in his mission to solve the world sanitation crisis as ever. Be sure to check the next 3 posts for more detailed highlights of the day. https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan

GGG + Forum 2017 Post forum message from Jack Sim! https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan

Japan’s Toilets are World Class The 3rd session of the “GGG + Forum 2017: To Achieve UHC & SDGs” took the form of an open debate around a case study from the most poverty stricken area in Africa, the village of Essumba. A total of 10 speakers including founder of the WTO (World Toilet Organization), Jack Sim who is supported by ANA BLUE WING and chief representative of local NGO, Edward Kachiri exchanged views and information on a wide variety of interesting topics such as vaccination, water purification, etc. LIXIL’s Tomita Kensuke explained that 1 billion of the world’s population still defecate in the open and gave an example of how the sale of 1 million simple toilets with lids had helped improve sanitation in Bangladesh. Reaching out to the most poverty stricken regions, so-called marginalized locations that lack water, food and toilets is the first step towards achieving the SDGs. Jack Sim described Japan’s toilet culture as world class. Wouldn’t it be great if Japan‘s sophisticated toilet culture and technology revolutionized sanitation across the world? Support ANA BLUE WING and help Jack rid the world of poor sanitation. https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan

Toilet is the Cheapest Medicine Founder of the WTO (World Toilet Organization), Mr. Jack Sim, was a speaker in the third session of the “GGG + Forum 2017: To Achieve UHC & SDGs”. Lovingly introduced as a world leader, and Mr. Toilet Himself, this is what he said. “We all use the toilet, about 6-8 times a day, every day. And yet there are still people who are embarrassed to talk about it. Some people can’t even use the word, referring to it as water instead. I believe that improving the world’s sanitation starts with making it easier to talk about in public by making it less of a taboo. In 1998, I set up “Restroom Association of Singapore” (RAS) which in 2001, underwent a name change to become the World Toilet Organization, “WTO” for short. I thought that injecting a little humor into the naming might help attract attention to the cause and make it easier to talk about. Indeed, following the name change, support and empathy for our work increased and in 2003, the UN declared the 19th November, the day the company was born, ‘World Toilet Day’. With far reaching benefits for health, sanitation is such an important topic: washing hands after going to the toilet prevents the spread of water borne diseases. In short, the toilet is the world’s cheapest medicine”. https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan

GGG + Forum 2017: To Achieve the UHC & SDGs On 10th October, the Hotel Leport Kojimachi played host to the “GGG + Forum 2017: To Achieve the UHC & SDGs”, a gathering of influential figures in a roundtable discussion of issues like empowerment of women, child healthcare improvement, human welfare, poverty, infectious diseases. Organized by Results Japan, the aim of the forum is to promote global healthcare action by Japan as a country with its government, educational institutions and people all working together at local and global level to achieve the UHC (Universal Healthcare) and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The focus of the first part of the debate was GGG, Polio, CEPI and how to achieve the “UHC and SDGs” focusing on nutrition. The debate then moved to malaria. The third part dealt with water and sanitation, toilets, children and women, and included among its speakers the Founder of the WTO (World Toilet Organization), Jack Sim, one of the Changemakers supported by ANA BLUE WING. https://www.ana-bluewing.com/en/changemakers/jack_sim/ #jacksim #ANABLUEWING #jacksimvisitedjapan