Ross Intermediate School Leos Club in Palmerston North twins toilets with latrines in Africa

Ross Intermediate School teacher Clare Mutch, former Ross Leos president Oliver Girling, and current Leos Minu Simons, Bella Hobson-Powell, Rangimarie Te Hauora and Koharu Tsutsumi. In front is honourary Leo Archie.

“Poo jokes are not my favourite but they are a solid No 2.”

That’s the joke Bella Hobson-Powell shared at the Lions 2023 district convention in Feilding.

Bella, 12, is one of the secretaries of Ross Leos Club, at Ross Intermediate School in Palmerston North.

She and fellow Leos were talking about how the club has twinned three of the school’s toilets with toilets in Africa.

It has twinned with a latrine in Gwoza in Nigeria, a latrine in Bouna in Ivory Coast and a school toilet block in Rumphi, Malawi.

Minu Simons, 13, used to live in an Indian orphanage and was able to share her experiences of unpleasant toilets.

The vice-president’s toilet joke was: “Why couldn’t the toilet paper cross the road? Because it got stuck in the crack.”

The Leos were introduced to the British-based Toilet Twinning initiative by Ross teacher Clare Mutch.

Ross was the first school in New Zealand to twin toilets and the Leos visited each class to talk about the project.

Mutch says it was a big project and the Leos did a fabulous job of promoting it. They highlighted the need for proper sanitisation and a safe environment to go to the toilet instead of the bush.

The students raised $800 for Toilet Twinning, with most of the money coming from a Blue For The Loo mufti day.

Toilet Twinning also allows individuals and organisations to twin a pipe, bin or tap.

Mutch wants to remind the students how fortunate they are to have running water, hand driers and hand sanitiser, as well as people to clean the school toilets.

Rangimarie Te Hauora, 12, is the Leos president. Her joke was: “What’s brown and sounds like a bell? Duuunnng.”

The club meets every Friday and has 32 members. Heartland Lions Palmerston North members help to run it.

Leo clubs are a youth organisation of Lions Clubs International.

Oliver Girling was the Ross Leos president last year and is keen to start a club at his new school, Queen Elizabeth College.

One of Ross Leos Club's toilet twinning certificates.

Toilet Twinning has been running since 2010. It funds global water and sanitation programmes run by Tearfund.

Tearfund says one in four people around the world do not have a toilet. By supporting Toilet Twinning people are helping to “flush away poverty”.