“We thought of a way to draw water without having to open and close the taps…This can be fitted on any water container; a jerrycan, tank or tin, depending on what one can afford.”
“We thought of a way to draw water without having to open and close the taps…This can be fitted on any water container; a jerrycan, tank or tin, depending on what one can afford.”
(Image: The UgandanWire)
Students at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) have developed a completely hands-free hand washer to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in an inspiring act of community service.
Spearheaded by two students, Lucky Mwaka and Mansoor Muhammad, the device both saves water as well as helps promote safe hygiene amidst the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Both students work at the university’s research and innovations laboratory, and were inspired to help keep safe sanitation in low-income settings.
The device also uses sensors and a solar battery-powered controller, making it environmentally friendly as well. Umar Yahya, the students’ lecturer and team leader, explained:
We thought of a way to draw water without having to open and close the taps. This is for people who use soap and water separately or those who do prior mixing of the disinfectant with water. This can be fitted on any water container; a jerrycan, tank or tin, depending on what one can afford.”
Currently being used at the university campus in Kibuli, Kampala, the team is in the process of producing at least six more devices in the effort to help those in the countryside as well. Below is a video from the UgandanWire capturing how the device works:
Mwaka, one of the students involved in the project, explains how the device both helps with sanitation as well as saves water in the process:
Water is dispensed when hands are in close proximity with the tap, and closed when hands are moved away. So in cases where water is scarce, you use exactly what you need to wash your hands.”
Uganda has been relatively safe during the global COVID-19 pandemic – according to the World Health Organization, there have been 52 cases with zero deaths so far. Let us pray that the death toll in Uganda continues to stay at zero, and that many others battling the spread of COVID-19 around the world can take inspiration from this team in Uganda.
