One of the most important safety precautions one can take during the Covid-19 lockdown is to regularly wash your hands with soap and water. However, millions of people across the globe, do not have safe or reliable access to water.
To South Africans who don’t have access to running water, a small recycling preliminary project has been run in an informal settlement north of Johannesburg using a novel innovation manufactured by South African company, Envirosan.
This simple hand-washing unit comprises a standard two-litre plastic bottle that is fitted with a self-closing tip tap valve. The bottle is placed into a wall-mounted plastic bracket incorporating a ribbed soap holder and peg to accommodate a face cloth or small towel.
With support from private sector donors and Godfirst Fourways Church’s Heart of a Champion Africa programme, these units were trialled at two Johannesburg informal settlements. Each unit costs R65 and includes a bar of soap.
“It was very special to see the way the community organised where the units should be placed and who would have responsibility for keeping the bottles filled and looking after the soap,” said Cliff Musamba, who runs the Heart of a Champion programme.
