MAKING AMAZING HAPPEN FOR A BETTER WORLD
Partnering with The Washing Machine Project to improve the lives of 100,000 people, worldwide
With an innovative engineering solution at its heart, the mission of The Washing Machine Project resonated with our own ambition of inspiring a more sustainable world through education and innovative solutions that improve lives.
The Washing Machine Project was set up in 2018 by British engineer Nav Sawhney following a sabbatical in South India, where he witnessed women and children enduring many backbreaking hours washing clothes by hand. He discovered that 70% of the world’s population do not have access to an electric washing machine and for many washing clothes in rivers, lakes and buckets is the only solution. Hand washing clothes is recognised as being a major barrier to education for low-income and displaced people around the world. This repetitive, demanding task, which can take upwards of 20 hours per week, often also leads to chronic back and joint pain.
This experience led Nav to develop a prototype for an affordable off-grid manual crank washing machine, the Divya. It is the only machine of its kind to be developed for humanitarian purposes and requires no electricity to operate. It uses a flywheel mechanism with drum-in-drum technology and combines washing and spin-dry functionality. Designed to be made from reusable off-the-shelf components and easily maintainable, it can be operated and fixed anywhere, by anyone. Using the Divya reduces the time spent hand washing clothes by 75% and requires 50% less water.
Built from the Heart
Back in 2022, 350 colleagues across the UK spent time at The Washing Machine Experience at our Corby site. By sharing this one-day experience they not only helped build 32 of the Divya version 1.55 washing machines but also learnt and understood what life was really like for those who endure the back-breaking task of hand-washing clothes in rivers and streams, using the time they could have otherwise spent going to school, playing with friends or more meaningful and joyful tasks.
"We are a global community with responsibility to each other and the planet. If we work together we can innovate solutions that empower communities and promote a better, more equal world for everyone"
Nav Sawhney; Inventor & Founder of The Washing Machine Project
Nav and his team at The Washing Machine Project are working to further improve the design and to broaden its humanitarian, sustainable and educational impact.
To continue its work, the project requires essential funding which will enable them to alleviate the burden of washing clothes for thousands of hard-hit families and communities around the world.
If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, please click the button below
Kawsek's Story
Kawsek was forced to flee her home in Syria 5 years ago and now lives in the Yasmine refugee camp in Lebanon with her husband and 10 children.
She and her three young daughters used to spend 2-3 hours per day hand washing clothes, which caused them back pain, joint pain and skin irritation.
With access to the manual, off-grid washing machine, Kawsek and her daughters no longer have to endure this repetitive and back-breaking task: saving them time which they can use to pursue education or to find paid work; empowering them to do whatever they want with their time.
“I feel very good. Happy. Because we are not going to be so tired. We are going to save time for revising our books and doing our homework”
Patricia - Student at Sserinya School, Uganda