What's the best way to catch the attention of distinguished delegates and honored world leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly? Dressing up as a giant piece of crap, of course!
Activists for WaterAid, an international NGO dedicated to providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education to poor people, dressed up as giant turds in order to spread the word about sanitation. "We feel like it's the only way to get attention for this crisis...Diarrhea kills 4,000 children a day worldwide and is the biggest killer of children in Africa," said WaterAid's head of campaigns, Kate Norgrove, who dressed up as a piece of feces and walked around Times Square giving out fliers.
But they weren't the only activists getting in on the costumed action: two female members of the non-profit Action for Global Health dressed up as superheroes, to encourage rich countries to pay attention to health issues around the world by appointing "health heroes." And members of ActionAid donned a chicken, a goat, and a cow head to promote greater investment in women farmers in Africa. "It was one piece of a broader puzzle," said Neil Watkins, policy and campaign director of ActionAid. But oh, what a piece it was.
