Lennie's Dream
One girl's journey to find a toilet
Once upon a time,
there was a little girl named Lennie who lived in a community without proper toilets. That may sound odd if you’ve grown up with a lovely toilet in your home.
But the truth is, billions of people around the world don’t have a loo.
One night, Lennie was snug in her bed. “I wish our home had a toilet,” she said to her stuffed bunny, Marlo. “Then I wouldn’t have to go outside when I have to wee in the night. You know how I’m so afraid of the dark. And when I hold it, it hurts!”
The next thing she knew, Lennie was floating in the sky. Wait a minute – is that Marlo?
“Marlo! How did you get all the way out here?”
“The same way you did, Lennie. I turned left at Mr. Barnwell’s shop, hopped over the biggest cloud, and tumbled down the Milky Way. Now let’s get to making your dream come true.”
“My dream?”
“To have a toilet! We just have to find the angler fish called Todd. He knows where to find everything. Something about the light coming out of his head…”
“I heard my name,”
Todd groaned.
“Hi! I’m Lennie. My friend Marlo said you might know where to find a toilet.”
“The only toilet I ever knew moved to the ocean, but maybe Marilyn would know where to find a toilet. She’s a mushroom who owns the hair salon right behind the striped moon.”
“What can I do you, sweetheart?” asked Margaret. “A beehive? A bob? Space buns?”
“Oh no, I’m looking for a toilet.”
“A toilet? Oh doll, he just left. Gave him his usual – hot towel scrub with bleached pipes.”
Lennie’s face fell. She grabbed onto Marlo’s foot for comfort.
To their great relief, the intergalactic hair salon was still open.
She’ll take you to his neck of the universe.”
“Babycakes, don’t look so glum. He couldn't have gone that far. Here, hop on my dog, Dottie.
“Excuse me, Mr. Toilet?”
“It’s John actually.”
“Of course! John! Would it be possible for you to come home with me? You see, I don't have a toilet at home. And none of my neighbours do either. Especially at night, it would be so wonderful to have something like you…”
“Sorry kid, I’m going to stop you right there. I can’t come home with you.”
Lennie worried she would start to cry. They had come all this way!
“I can’t come home with you,” John continued, “but
the good news is that YOU can come home with you.”
“Here’s the thing. Toilets are not just some porcelain plopped in a house. You need the support of the community. You need plumbers and hardware stores and people to spread the word…”
Fat tears fell down Lennie’s cheeks. Marlo snuggled under her arm.
“Oh please, don’t cry. I know it sounds overwhelming, but you have the power to make change. It all starts with you. You can make nighttime wees brighter for everyone.”
“I can?”
Lennie was so confused.
“Of course you can! You found me, and I’m famously difficult to track down. Especially at concerts.”
Lennie blinked. John was coming in and out of focus. She stretched her arms up and she was back in bed. The sun was shining on her and she could smell Mummy making breakfast.
She stepped onto the floor, wiggled her toes and took a deep breath. “It all starts with me.”
Meet the real life Lennie
In 2015, Lennie was a grade 6 student in Malawi. In her community, toilets were a rarity. There weren’t even any at her school! Lennie dreamt of a world with greater access to toilets. And with the help of one of our impact partners, Water For People, her school was able to build a brand new toilet block, complete with sinks, showers and menstrual stations.
Lennie took a special interest in promoting sanitation and hygiene at school and even became a leader of her school’s club that helped maintain the new facilities.
Before the toilet block, girls would have to leave school when they got their periods, often missing entire weeks during their time of the month. This put them at an academic disadvantage and often led them to drop out of school entirely.
Since the new toilets were installed, Lennie became passionate about helping her community. Today, Lennie is in university studying to earn her bachelor’s degree in environmental science. She plans on protecting people by caring for our planet. And her mum assures us, she’s always on the Dean’s List. We’re not surprised.
Your toilet is amazing
World Health Organization. Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene, 2019 update. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023
Without a toilet, people have to go to the bathroom outside.
This can be dangerous, especially at night. People will walk to find a secluded area to do their business, which can be super scary in the dark. But that’s not all – when you go to the bathroom outside, your poo can end up in local waterways. That means the water that you use to drink or wash is contaminated. That can lead to people getting really, really sick. Kids are often the ones who get the most sick. Not having a toilet can lead to them missing school or worse.
If everyone had a toilet, we could prevent up to 1.4 million1 deaths per year. That’s why we’re so thankful for your support. By using The Dream Edition, you’re helping people around the world secure toilets and clean water. Dreamy!
Make dreams come true
Pick up a box of our latest limited edition to help people around the world gain access to clean water and a toilet.
