From the Series
Elephant Tap by Aalto University, Chyambogo University, Makerere University, Swinburne University for UNICEF Finland National Committee.
Regular, thorough hand washing is one of the basic public health rules and has a key role to play in the prevention of diarrhoeal diseases, especially among children in developing countries.
It was found that even in areas where there is enough clean water available, children weren’t washing their hands properly.
The Elephant Tap is a solution that addresses both the infrastructure and education aspects of hand washing,
Made from locally-sourced, readily-available, low-tech parts, the Elephant Tap is a hard-wearing theft deterrent tap designed specifically for primary schools in developing countries. It can be retrofitted to most water tanks using simple rubber adapters.
The Elephant Tap works with a push lever and only dispenses 250ml of water at a time, lasting approximately 30 seconds, before shutting off again. This is an action that helps to conserve water, while also passively showing children how long they need to wash their hands for so it can have the desired health and hygiene benefit.
