Dear SuSanA Users,

As we look back at discussions that we have had on the forum in relation to Handwashing, I thought to unearth this conversation about the most basic handwashing technology that has/ was for years an entry point in promoting handwashing in the most marginalized contexts. 

The following questions comes to mind looking back and reading through this thread.

1.  Is/ Was the Tippy Tap a disaster as some practitioners put it? or a vital tool for Behaviour Change promotion?
2. What other community-driven hand-washing interventions have succeeded the Tippy Tap? emphasis on community driven.
3. Do interventions and practitioners today still implement and stand by the Tippy Tap concept?
3. I feel there is now a shift towards group handwashing facilities that in most cases have to be procured/ manufactured elsewhere and then brought on-site. Is this a recipe for another ''failed'' intervention later on with O&M, ownership and capacity issues etc.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Chaiwe

Good candid comments. Just do not
Worry about the choice of words
While discussing sanitation and hygiene.
Only we need to be clear.

Your comments about cleaning
Yourself after poo/ pee using sand
May damage already tender parts
Due to diaherria.

Use of water with bucket is high
But a common plastic / metal container
Called LOTA is quite good and
Economical on the use of water.

This is common in Pakistan.
Has a handle and a narrow spout
To deliver water at the cleaning
Point.

If not clear kindly ask for a picture.

Regards

M Jahangir
www.waterpakistan.com

Dear all,

I do have a Serious Request or comment for behavior change! It is about the behavior change of many NGOs that just do whatever THEY think is good (based on their western ideas) for the kids in Africa, and I speak about the crazy so called "Tippy-Tap" Disaster that is going on and on. These Tipsy NGOs spend millions on non-sustainable, non practical "Tappies", but it makes little sense.

See picture:



It also takes little imagination if you look carefully, to see that this is completely nonsense to impose such devices on school kids, especially when we all know that there are so many better examples to do so with a simple strong bucket with a tap.

We have seen on all locations where these Tipsy NGOs imposed this craziness to schools, that after a few days already kids stop using this for obvious reasons, that are so evident, that I am not even going to summarize here.

The original idea for a Tippy Tap device comes from the old boyscout handbooks and was ment as a "suggestion" to use in case you have nothing else in the bush for washing hands before eating, but NOT after using the toilets, that is a different story altogether.

To clean oneself after using the toilet (if you don't have proper toilet paper) your best option is water, but that is only possible with a lot of water, using the so called "Bucket and Scoop Methode", very much in use in India etc. but not so much in Africa, because indeed you need a lot of water to do this properly. You hold the scoop with your one hand and use the other hand to clean your ass. Depending on the culture, you use your right or left hand to do so, apologizing for the language.

Alternatively, in case of diarrhea, you can use dry soft sand, though that is not so convenient, but it helps in a way to keep your underpants a bit clean at least.

The use of toilet paper is a different (Western) story, obviously poor people and schools do not use that, sometimes they use normal paper, but if do not have the right absorbing paper, it makes a mess of your cleaning efforts and you'r just likely to spread out the faces all over your ass, so also not so advisable. Most of the time, the kids and people just squat and move on, cheap and convenient, they only use their hands to drop the pants, so the hands don't get dirty whatsoever.

So I hope that we all can agree that this Tippy Tap Drama should stop and more proper methods such as scooping must be promoted in case water is available.

For schools, rather focus on solid hand washing basins (preferably with auto-stop taps) located close by were people eat to start with, and only when you have plenty of water available, install proper scoops at the toilets, that is the best you can do to replace the expensive toilet paper. Having said that, even with toilet paper you need to wash your hands as well, because you are likely to get your hands dirty using toilet paper, unfortunately.

Thanks so much!

@ cheers
Paul van Beers
FairWater Foundation

Sound answers to sound questions - believe me, I am not preaching the solutions as being born alone of industrial design - we all play our part in different ways...

Your questions are quite valid. But this is a common sense design and is not an industrial standard design and i am not claiming instant success in every aspect. You can modify it to suit particular needs. For example the container can seat on a bench, larger volume container can be used, etc.But this device has beaten our own expectation. The foot lever almost operates like a touch screen the moment your feet rests on it. We tested it with school kids and they needed almost no effort to run the water. There is also flexibility as you can slide the foot lever to a desirable position. There is enough optimum clearance between the foot lever and the dripping point of the water-not too near as to wet the feet and not too far so that children struggle to reach it. We positioned it by common sense. The container vertical height position is immaterial as long as water flows down to where the hand is.

If the school is a place where rowdy behavior is rampant, i am afraid this device will not survive its day. But i am not one of the people who think technology is a solution to such problems. We have cases in our project where UDDT toilets failed miserably because the adult owners refused to cooperate with the needed operation.

Despite the rhetoric of a dollar an hour, the labour rate i am afraid has a shadow price in it. This place is not like first world countries where wages are instantly adjusted for inflation. Since 2010 i have observed the Rand has been falling consistently against the dollar by almost 100%. However wages grew hardly by more than 15%.

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Note by moderators: This post was made by a former user with the login name Ababu who is no longer a member of this discussion forum.

The setup looks robust as a prototype - but has it been subjected to the rigours of energetic children who like nothing more than to test structures to oblivion!
Also the ergonomics look a bit adult sized - can a child deliver enough footboard pressure & reach the container?
Does the contaminated waste water hit the footboard?
How long would you expect 5 litres to last and who is responsible for refill maintenance
From a standard so-called First World perspective less than a dollar an hour local labour rate needs to be understood - is that the 'going rate' pan-Africa, India, Asia?

Dear (Dr.) Ababu,

Thank you for the cost details. I'm happy to note that, you gave minute details of the costs. This will help a person in formulating the localized cost. I also find that it is certainly not costly, or cumbersome, to erect such an device.

Regards,
F H Mughal

Dear Mughal:

First of all, to reduce unnecessary costs, the setup can be improvised with locally available materials. The materials required are: wood, rope, nail and container for holding water. In addition 1 hour labour time can be included and this setup does not require any special skilled labour. Memmbers of the community can be trained to set up their own hand wash facility. Here is my estimation based on locally available cost infomation:

1. Rounded wood (this can be used for the frame, foot lever and wooden flap as well) - 2 X 4m each costing 15 Rands ( i.e. 1 Rand = app. 0.0833 USD) = 30 Rand = 2.5 USD
2. Storage container, say 5 liters plastic = 6 Rand = 0.5 USD
3. Rope, 10 meters length ( 20 rands/30m) = 7 Rand = 0.6 USD
4. Nail, 9 rounded nails + 5 straight nails = 0.15 Rands/nail = 2.1 Rand = 0.2 USD
5. Labour, 1 hour unskilled labour trained for constructing the device = 10 Rand/hour = 0.8 USD

Total cost = 30 + 6 + 7 + 2.1 + 10 = 55.1 Rands
= 2.5 + 0.5 + 0.6 + 0.2 + 0.8 = 4.6 USD

This is basically the cost of providing the hand wash faciltiy as far as i can see.

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Note by moderators: This post was made by a former user with the login name Ababu who is no longer a member of this discussion forum.

Dear (Dr.) Ababu,

Yes, the device looks great. What would be the cost of installing the device (cost of wooden bars, ropes, labor, etc)?

Regards,
F H Mughal

This is the Tippy Tap device we have modified (photo below)! It now looks great and with very little pressing required at the foot lever, water runs out smoothly and when released it stops automatically. The storage container in this device is handled much more gently with the two wooden flaps that spread the force over greater area of the storage container. The hard container walls did not inhibit the device and it works fine.




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Note by moderators: This post was made by a former user with the login name Ababu who is no longer a member of this discussion forum.

Thank you Mr. Mughal;

I agree with you 100% not only because of soaps but also one feels unsafe using hands to open and close taps especially those provided near toilets in public places. I also use my elbow or the back of my hand to "feel safe".

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Note by moderators: This post was made by a former user with the login name Ababu who is no longer a member of this discussion forum.

Dear (Dr.) Ababu,

I'm happy to see the new Tippy Tap design. It is interesting and useful. When the hands are soaped, it is difficult to touch any part of the device; hence the innovative use of foot to turn on the water flow. In my kitchen, I use my elbow to lift the lever up of the tap!

Well done!

Regards,

F H Mughal