The Washing Machine Project to Help Refugees #bbc #washingmachines #refugees #india #iraq #divya #middleeast #givingback

 THE STORY BEHIND THE DIVYA

On December 23, 2019 Newsround on the BBC carried a story headlined “New hand cranked washing machines could help refugees.”



The article began: “Hand washing clothes can be a really hard task but it’s even harder in a place with little water or electricity – somewhere like a refugee camp.”

It continued to explain that fifty new low-cost hand cranked washing machines designed by student Nav Sawhney from the University of Bath, in England would be trialled at a refugee camp in Iraq in the Middle East that week.

“It’s hoped that they will help families living in the camps who struggle to wash their clothes.”

How did this all begin? It was during a sabbatical in southern India that Nav had spoken with a woman there who told him it was extremely hard for her and others to get their clothes clean.” He had seen for himself “women and children enduring many backbreaking hours washing clothes by hand.”

Nav felt prompted to help the people there “with their daily struggles.” He believes “What drives us forward is a common goal to make the world a better place with the skills we have.” 

A story by Steve Mather on the BBC Somerset Page tells how Nav, designed and invented a hand-cranked washing machine for people who must wash clothes by hand.

Nav, he said, was struck at seeing “women and children enduring many backbreaking hours”, washing clothes by hand.

The Washing Machine Project was born.

The machine called the Divya is now in use in the refugee camp in Iraq. He plans to have at least 7,500 machines available to people in poor communities in the next two years. it could help some 100,00 people.

The development is all very surreal for Nav. It began as a grassroots type of project with a little bit of funding from Oxfam to test the project in Iraq. But then a company called Electrocomponents got involved with them and said, “we like your mission”. That funding will allow them to take the project to the next level.

“All I set out to do was make a washing machine!” Nav said. Look what has happened!

The machine does not require electricity and “can be used for washing and spin drying. It is easy to use and reduces the time spent in handwashing clothes.”

This year’s pilot projects are being launched in Jordan and Vanuatu.

And other countries – Greece, Nigeria, and Uganda - have made enquiries about the machine.

#bbc #washingmachines #refugees #india #iraq #divya #middleeast #oxfam

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