An interview with Raya

Nov 16, 2017

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Hope Randall
Communications Officer, DefeatDD

Our team has made so many good friends this year at Sesame Workshop India, both of the human and Muppet variety. We celebrated World Water Day with Chamki and Googly, and now we’re gearing up for World Toilet Day with Raya, who is just as passionate as we are about keeping germs at bay.

 

We sat down to thank her for contributing a Toilet Talk for our campaign to raise awareness about diarrhea prevention and treatment ahead of World Toilet Day and to share with advocates our new state of the field report. And of course, we continued to talk toilets!

 

Hope: Good to meet you, Raya! You are one of DefeatDD’s favorite celebrities because you like to talk about toilets! Why is it important to talk about toilets?

 

Raya: O yes! I am your favorite? Thank you, Hope! You know, Hope, toilets are very important. We must defecate ONLY in the toilet. This way we can prevent so many diseases from spreading.

 

 

Hope: Sometimes at DefeatDD, we make jokes about poo. We think that makes it fun to learn about how we all can help children stay healthy. Do you like to make jokes, too?

 

Raya: Me and my friends have a lot of fun learning and talking about toilet practices. We often make songs, too. Do you want to listen to one such song? It goes like this:

Wash your hands with soap and water,

While I sing this song

Wash your hands with soap and water,

And germs will soon be gone.

Don’t forget to wash your fingers,

And scrub them in between

Rinse until the song is over, 

And now our hands are clean.

 

Hope: How are you planning to celebrate World Toilet Day this year?

 

Raya: On World Toilet Day I plan to check on all my friends on the Galli if they are following all the rules of toilet use. Are you following these rules, Hope? Do you know what they are?

 

Hope: Yes, I do know the toilet use rules. But it’ll great to hear them from you again.

 

Raya: First, always wear slippers to the toilet.

Second, always pour water after you have used the loo.

Third, wash hands with soap thoroughly, between the fingers, inside and outside the palm.

If we follow these three rules of toilet use, then diseases like diarrhea can be prevented.

 

Hope: How can grownups protect children from getting sick with diarrhea?

 

Raya: My teacher said that by keeping our surroundings clean we all can stay away from diseases. So grownups, too, should ensure that they keep themselves and their nearby area neat and clean, consume clean & properly stored water so that germs can stay away and diseases like diarrhea can be prevented.

 

Hope: Thanks for talking to me today, Raya. Keep up the good work!

 

Raya: Thanks, Hope! And Happy World Toilet Day to you all!