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Coventry City | Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena's twinning partnership
The Ricoh Arena and Coventry City have launched a twinning partnership of a very different kind with a school in Africa.
The club’s boardroom toilets at the multi-purpose venue have been twinned with a school toilet block in Burundi.
It is part of the World’s First Toilet Twinning project which is being run by Leamington-based charity CORD to transform the lives of people who have returned to Burundi after their country’s civil war.
A framed photo of School Latrine Number Six in Giharo, Rutana Province, has been placed in the boardroom.
Wendy Nelson from CORD said the toilet twinning was an initiative to wipe away disease and flush away poverty.
“This project was launched to improve water and sanitation in Burundi which has been badly affected by war over the last 15 years,” she said.
“Basic, clean, safe sanitation is something we take for granted in this country but without it it leads to disease and death and stops children going to school and people going to work.
“Since we started the project we have twinned 750 toilets throughout the world and raised £50,000.
“We would like to thank the Ricoh Arena and Coventry City for agreeing to sponsor this toilet block in Giharo which will benefit over 500 children.
“We have given the Ricoh the grid reference on Google Earth to be able to look up the school in the African bush so that they can see for themselves who they are helping.”
Daniel Gidney, chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, said this was a fun scheme with a serious message.
“This is an idea that is literally saving lives,” he said. “Burundian people are starting to return to their country having sought sanctuary in refugee camps in Tanzania for the last 15 years.
“Land has been desecrated and infrastructure severely damaged and building toilet blocks in schools is part of the rebuilding process.
“This twinning will make a real difference and I would encourage other organisations in the region to get involved.”
For further information log on to http://www.toilettwinning.org
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