Nepal Portable Hand Wash Unit 2020 Challenge
The winner of the Nepal Portable Hand Washing Unit 2020 Challenge to design a portable handwashing unit that will improve hand hygiene in community and outreach programs in Nepal was Taylor Springthorpe from New South Wales.
There was a strong field of design entries with many thoughtful considerations addressing the brief. The PPF thanks all the entrants who went through to the final submission stage for what was quite a challenging design problem.
The Judges agreed that Taylor’s design offers a practical and workable solution, suited to the conditions in Nepal.
Why
In COVID-19 times handwashing was a key factor in preventing the spread of Coronavirus and other microbes. Many countries including Nepal developed community handwashing units to overcome a lack of suitable sanitation facilities.
A great need was identified for a compact, durable, portable handwashing unit that
- is easily assembled and disassembled
- can be readily packaged and transported without suffering damage on very rough dirt roads
- dispenses water safely and conservatively
- provides safe soap storage
- considers safe wastewater disposal
- is robust, tamper proof, and built in Nepal using locally available materials.
The requirement for handwashing in Nepal is increasing. Hands must be washed before entering health and other facilities, outreach health and dental programs, public areas and offices. Schools, which were closed for most of 2020-22, now require students and staff to wash their hands before starting lessons each day.
Next Steps
Taylor worked with the PPF technical experts, both in Australia and Nepal, to develop the design in readiness for building a prototype in Nepal. The unit was trialled and 3 more were built to incorporate identified design modifications, with the initial unit retrofitted accordingly. These 4 units were trialled and evaluated in a range of remote location settings in Nepal. Modifications have been made according to feedback from the field staff and end users. The PPF will build and distribute units to suitable health and hygiene programs especially in remote schools.
