Washing hands

 

That Boris Johnson partied while the rest of the population obeyed the coronation measures is now a fact. But we all also remember a video in which Johnson demonstrated how to wash your hands properly. While singing a cheerful song, we saw how to wash your hands.

It is, of course, nice when there is running water. But what do you do when there are no or hardly any sanitary facilities? In Africa, they know what to do. Every problem gets a local solution here. Like a portable hand-washer.

You see them in various designs. Some are more advanced than others. But roughly speaking, they all have at least a water tank, a catch basin or rinsing basin and some sort of metal structure on which the first two rest. The water tank can be a bucket or a plastic jerrycan. A tap is fitted to the the bottom of the tank. The metal structure has a holder, placed somewhat lower, in which a basin fits. On the side there is also a holder for a bottle of soap. This can be a bottle with a pump, the type you can buy in the supermarket. Or, just a water bottle with liquid soap. The cap has a hole in it to make it easier to dose the flow of the soap. In the basic version of this hand wash basin, you open the tap, you wash your hands. That's it. Occasionally, someone empties the sink and refills the tank. Handy and easy. In the more luxurious version, the tap is connected to a pedal via a lever. So, you can open the tap with your foot. And sometimes the rinsing basin also has some sort of drain. The waste water then goes into another tub.

You see these handwashers everywhere in the streets of Rwanda. Handy, but here is a golden tip: always check that there is still water in the water tank before spraying soap on your hands....