Skip to content
Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

Primary Menu Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

  • Home
  • Newswires
  • Politics & Society
  • The New Feudals
  • World View
  • Arts And Aesthetics
  • For The Record
  • About Us
  • Featured

UK Sikh Engineer’s Low-Cost Washing Machines To Head To India

Aug 14, 2021 | Pratirodh Bureau

Navjot Sawhney got the idea of a hand-cranked washing machine during a sabbatical in Tamil Nadu (Representational, Getty)

A London-born Indian-origin engineer’s project to supply low-cost washing machines to countries such as India, where handwashing of clothes remains a time-consuming exercise, has got off to a good start following field research in camps in Iraq.

Navjot Sawhney, who set up his Washing Machine Project three years ago to provide energy efficient manual washing machines to low-income regions, has been working with volunteers and partners to conduct research ahead of supplies.

The organisation has also launched a crowdfunding appeal on Just Giving to raise 10,000 pounds to aid the delivery process.

“At the Washing Machine Project, we believe in the power of innovation to empower lives. That is why we have developed an off-grid, manual washing machine, which saves 60-70 per cent of time and 50 per cent of water, for people in low-income and displaced communities,” notes the charity’s fundraising drive.

“This idea was born out of a friendship. Nav, our founder, was on a sabbatical in rural South India, making clean cook stoves when he met his neighbour, Divya. It was through their conversations at the end of each day that Nav came to realise the significant burden unpaid labour places on women,” it notes.

Mr Sawhney was on a sabbatical from his engineering career in the UK when the idea of a hand-cranked washing machine struck him.

“While in Tamil Nadu, I lived in a small village called Kuilapalayam. The community had limited access to continuous electricity, and water was switched on twice a day,” recalls Mr Sawhney.

“My next-door neighbour Divya and I became excellent friends. While we talked, she would hand wash her clothes. I was always so shocked at how long and how much effort it would take to conduct the relatively unproductive task,” he said.

This led to him coming up with the “Divya 1.5” model of his manual washing machine, inspired by a simple salad spinner. Now 30 of the Divya 1.5 will be used at Mamrashan Refugee Camp in Iraq with the help of the charity Care International. It is expected to positively impact 300 people and save up to 750 hours annually per household, equivalent to two months of daylight hours. Mr Sawhney plans to head to Iraq at the beginning of September to help distribute the machines.

Later this year, the Washing Machine Project aims to fulfil orders to refugee camps in Jordan. Eventually, the plan is for these machines to be shipped to other parts of the world, including India and Africa.

“It is not just Divya who bears this burden. We have spoken to women and communities in 11 different countries around the world, including Lebanon, the Philippines and Cameroon. In those communities we have met children as young as 6 who have begun helping with this task. This is detrimental not just to their education but also to their childhoods; to being children,” notes the project.

“There are many health risks associated with hand-washing clothes, notably contracting infections and water-borne diseases from direct contact with contaminated water sources,” it adds.

Tags: "Divya 1.5" model, Navjot Sawhney, Pratirodh, Washing Machine Project, Washing Machines

Continue Reading

Previous Taliban Near Gates Of Kabul As Embassies Prepare For Evacuations
Next Twitter Unlocks Rahul Gandhi’s Handle After A Week

More Stories

  • Featured

What Happens When Pharma Pollutants Enter The Environment?

22 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

New Report Says Nijjar Told Trudeau In A 2016 Letter He Was Innocent

24 hours ago Shalini
  • Featured

UFOs: How NASA Plans To Get To The Bottom Of Unexplained Sightings

1 day ago Pratirodh Bureau

Recent Posts

  • What Happens When Pharma Pollutants Enter The Environment?
  • New Report Says Nijjar Told Trudeau In A 2016 Letter He Was Innocent
  • UFOs: How NASA Plans To Get To The Bottom Of Unexplained Sightings
  • Online Abuse & How It Could Drive Women Out Of Political Life
  • From Abundance To Endangerment To Revival
  • Disabled Muslim Man Tied To Pole, Beaten To Death In Delhi
  • Why Indian State Fears The Khalistan Movement
  • PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Harming Wildlife The World Over: Study
  • PM Modi Has Shown His Back To Manipur, Says Congress
  • What Happens When Citizens Take Ownership Of Urban Commons
  • What Will An El Niño Bring Next To India?
  • Why Some Indians Want To Name Their Country ‘Bharat’
  • ‘BJP Exploiting J&K’s Natural Resources For Benefit Of Crony Capitalists’
  • Monsoon Leaves Widespread Destruction And Uneasy Questions In HP
  • Khalistan & The Diplomatic Feud Between India And Canada
  • Drought-Resilient Millet: A Pathway To Food Security In India?
  • Bioinvasions Are Global Threat To Ecosystems
  • RSS Declares An Intensified Campaign Against ‘Love Jihad’, Conversion
  • To Protect Our Oceans, We Must Map Them
  • Why The World Needs Carbon Removal To Limit Global Heating To 2℃

Search

Main Links

  • Home
  • Newswires
  • Politics & Society
  • The New Feudals
  • World View
  • Arts And Aesthetics
  • For The Record
  • About Us

Related Stroy

  • Featured

What Happens When Pharma Pollutants Enter The Environment?

22 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

New Report Says Nijjar Told Trudeau In A 2016 Letter He Was Innocent

24 hours ago Shalini
  • Featured

UFOs: How NASA Plans To Get To The Bottom Of Unexplained Sightings

1 day ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

Online Abuse & How It Could Drive Women Out Of Political Life

1 day ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

From Abundance To Endangerment To Revival

2 days ago Pratirodh Bureau

Recent Posts

  • What Happens When Pharma Pollutants Enter The Environment?
  • New Report Says Nijjar Told Trudeau In A 2016 Letter He Was Innocent
  • UFOs: How NASA Plans To Get To The Bottom Of Unexplained Sightings
  • Online Abuse & How It Could Drive Women Out Of Political Life
  • From Abundance To Endangerment To Revival
Copyright © All rights reserved. | CoverNews by AF themes.