As with many other countries, Tanzania too has been impacted by COVID-19. Twende Social Innovation Centre wants to flatten the curve by making technologies to slow the spread of the virus. According to health practitioners, handwashing destroys the virus. We have successfully tested foot-powered tippy taps, where users can wash hands without touching the tap. We need your support to bring our locally designed and built tippy taps to public hospitals, orphanages, and marketplaces in Arusha, TZ.
Hospitals, orphanages, and marketplaces are the highest risk areas for COVID-19 infection to spread. People in hospitals are at a higher risk of getting infected since other patients also go to seek treatment. Orphanages, as the homes of so many children, cannot close. Marketplaces are where the public buys their daily food. These places don't have access to safe handwashing tools as most of them are hand-operated. Reliable hand washing in these places is critical to flattening the curve.
We aim to flatten the curve by giving people in public places access to safe and easy-to-use hand-washing devices. We have designed a foot-powered tippy tap to avoid hand use in public spaces. With your help, we plan to make 130 tippy taps and distribute them to 20 hospitals, 30 orphanages, and 20 marketplaces. We have already identified places to donate to and successfully built and tested tippy taps. Your support will go 100% to material costs and support local labor.
In the long run, we hope there will be no cases of the virus in Tanzania or anywhere else in the world. Even in the post-COVID-19 world, the foot-powered tippy taps will still be useful in allowing people to practice good hygiene. People in these frequented public spaces will be able to easily wash their hands regularly, leading to better health outcomes for the entire community in the future.
