Tippy Taps Journey with Woza Moya

Tippy Taps (TT) were first introduced to the community 6 years ago, in order to improve access to clean water for washing. Ufafa Valley is a water scarce area, especially in the dry winter months. There is no formal water supply or sanitation. 

The wonderful thing about a 5-litre TTs is that they waste very little water. About 50 people can wash their hands with just one 5 litre bottle of water. 

In 2013, when TTs were first introduced, there was a dramatic decrease in the incidence of diarrhoea in infants 0-5 years. 

Children in the communities love the TTs! They seem to love the challenge of using the foot pedal and tipping the water bottle and washing their hands, like some sort of game – they’ve been taught to flap and wind dry their hands.  Teachers have also taught them songs and rhymes to accompany their hand washing. 

Our staff have been door to door supplying families with 5-litre plastic bottles, liquid soap detergent, and instructions on how to install them. 

We focused mostly on schools and communal meeting places and spent time educating people on the importance of washing hands, thoroughly and frequently.

Currently, we have most of the schools, communal areas, and many homesteads covered. Our greatest challenge is in the on-going maintenance of the TTs. We are pleased to see that most households, and communal TTs are still in good working order, and full of water and soap. People are anxious and doing the best they can to stay safe and clean during the pandemic, and TTs are one tool that is easily accessible to them.