Hacking the world’s toilet and sanitation crisis.

By Catalina Spinel (Drain Master, Toilet Hackers)

Want to save the world? Have coding, software or design skills? Are you passionate about water and sanitation?

We need your help to solve a 2.5 billion person challenge – the world’s toilet crisis. Toilet Hackers is launching a global sanitation hackathon to create ICT and mobile solutions that help increase access to sanitation and hygiene on December 1-2, 2012.

The event will mobilize an unprecedented level of collaboration from disparate disciplines – sanitation and water experts, designers, software developers, engineers, health professionals, students – with the goal of hacking the world’s toilet and sanitation crisis.

World Bank’s Water Policy and Information & Communications Technology units in partnership with Eirene, Random Hacks of Kindness and Second Muse will lead the hackathon; Ideo.org and Gensler are contributing their design capabilities; and Water for People and UNICEF are supporting Toilet Hackers with their sector expertise. This hackathon will address information and communications technology and mobile solutions.

The Sanitation Hackathon will take place in 14 North American cities and 10 international locations and will culminate with judges awarding prizes. To register in North America, please visit Toilet Hackers or contact [email protected]. Join the conversation on Twitter @toilethackers #SanHack #IGiveAShit

Women 2.0 readers: Have you hacked for accessible water or sanitation before? Let us know in the comments!

About the guest blogger: Catalina Spinel is Drain Master at Toilet Hackers, working to solve the world’s toilet crisis by improving access to sanitation and hygiene for 2.5 billion people. Catalina recently graduated from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University where she holds a master in Public Administration. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and business solutions for development. Follow her on Twitter at @catalinaspinel.