(Eagle News) – A team of Filipino engineers and teachers developed a pedal-operated handwasher to help combat COVID-19 in Ethiopia, according tothe Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Filipino team “conceptualized a mechanically-operated technology that performs even without electricity and can be conveniently positioned in crowded places”, the DFA said in a statement.
The pedal-operated handwasher was developed in the capital city of Addis Ababa, upon the request of Deputy Director Eniyew Getnet Bitew of the Federal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institute and Center for Excellence in Engineering.
It allowed users to practice proper handwashing without touching the water tap or soap dispenser, hence avoiding further contamination.
The team developed two prototypes, the first of which was used as a model for the production of three hundred (300) units, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which are now being installed across the capital.
The second prototype was used by other regional TVET colleges to fabricate several handwashing units for localities across Ethiopia.
“The technology was widely praised in social media that even a few city mayors placed orders and installed the Filipino-designed pedal-powered handwashers in different regional offices”, the DFA statement said.
Eagle News Service