Reinvent the Toilet Challenge - Global Sanitation

Bill & Melinda Gates have been doing tremendous work through their foundation. One of their key focuses is water, sanitation & hygiene. First a few facts:

1. The western "flush" toilet was invented in 1775 by a Scottish mathematician and watch maker named Alexander Cummings. It has been more than 230 years, but the basic "flush" toilet hasn't undergone any change. 

2. Worldwide there are 2.5 billion people (close to 40% of the world's population) without access to safe sanitation. About 1 billion people defecate in the open and another 1 billion use pit latrines.  

3. Diarrheal diseases are caused when food and water mix with fecal matters. Diarrheal diseases are responsible for 1.5 million annual deaths globally which is more than annual deaths from AIDS and malaria combined.

4. It requires on an average 3.5 gallons of water to flush each time.If every person on the planet flushes daily than the total daily requirement is a mind boggling 24.5 billion gallons of water.

Also, there are too many road blocks to developing flush toilets such as electricity, sewer system and plumbed water in many of the world's developing countries including India. Bill & Melinda Gates initiated 'reinvent the toilet challenge" and offered $42 million who came with a new kind of toilet system that does NOT require electricity, sewer system and water costs less than 5 cents a day for use. The culmination of the challenge led to some very fascinating findings. Click on the links below:

Reinvent the Toilet Challenge - Winners

Why we Need a Toilet Revolution

Fact sheet - Institutions Receiving Grants

Nation Branding

 I found the following definition of the word ‘Brand’ on the MASB (Marketing Accountability Standards Board) website based in Florida, USA.

 A brand is a "name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.

Also, the following was something of interest on Wikipedia:

The word "brand" is derived from the Old Norse brandr meaning "to burn." It refers to the practice of producers burning their mark (or brand) onto their products.

The oldest generic Brand, which is in continuous use in India, since Vedic period, 9000–10000 years ago is known as 'Chyawanprash'. It is widely used in India and many other countries and is a herbal paste of 45 herbs made for revered Rishi named Chyawan.

Branding can be for a personality or a company/organization or for a country too. I have been sometimes wondering that why India with such a rich olden times, different and vibrant society and above all a well branched out NRI populace doesn’t not brand itself. The names which immediately come to mind when nation branding comes are the ‘Malaysia – Truly Asia’ slogan or ‘Discover Australia’ one. The last to join the league is South Korea. I read an interesting article in the Korean Herald regarding the South Korean branding. South Korea has been performing superbly and has churned out global giants like Samsung, LG and Hyundai.

China did a similar branding exercise in the city of Rome (early 1970’s) as the Chinese government supported migrants to open diners in the city and residents of the city learnt the Chinese culture from there as laid out in the article.

Korea heading to level playing field for nation branding