Tippy taps for all!!

The last couple of weeks at site have been fairly productive. We planted 22 Bashi Jiri (Moringa trees). The two I planted in my yard, although started out fabulously, were ravished by goats...I’m assuming. I did not see them in action but I heard the goats really love the leaves of the tree. The other 20 trees were planted in between the corn in the field next to the Matrone’s house. Since the goats don’t seem to bother with the corn I guessed this would be a fairly safe place to start the trees and they would have time to grow quite a bit before the corn has been harvested and the plants die off. That’s the plan anyway. The trees are in their third week.

This past weekend my homologue and I built two tippy taps in village. A tippy tap is a cheap, everyone can make one, hand washing station. Using tree branches as the frame, a 4 liter motor oil jug, a bar of soap and some rope (soap on a rope) everyone can wash their hands. There is also a 4th stick/branch used as a foot pedal if you will.  If everything gets set up properly when you step on the "foot pedal" the water jug will tip and water comes out of a hole on the top.  My idea was to put them in areas around the village (we are going to put up three more this week) were they would get the most visibility. This way everyone would have a chance to see them, use them and note how easy it would be to have one in their own compound. That’s the hope. We put one up in front of the Maternity building and one up in front of the butiki. Everyone who comes in and out of Maternity whether they are delivering a baby or there with a sick someone will see it. And of course at the butiki all the men hang out there during the day and the women and kids are in and out making purchases throughout each day as well. Unfortunately it has come to my attention that no one has actually used them yet.




Tippy tap at it's best.




The village Matrone using the tippy tap.


There is a volunteer from the previous group that keeps statistics in her village on the tippy taps that were built. She built several herself initially and since then there has been a total of 61 built in her village. She goes around village throughout the week, usually around lunch or dinner time, checking to see if the tippy tap is wet underneath. She also keeps track of the soap. Is it the initial bar they put up when they built the tippy tap, which means even if they are using the water they are not using soap, or have they replaced it recently. Unfortunately about half the tippy taps that were built are either broken or someone took the water jug or soap off of them. That’s too bad. Also, she noted from last year that during rainy season, which is planting and growing season, most people work and eat out in the fields so they don’t get much use during this time anyway. Which is a shame since this time of year sickness is definitely at a high. It’s the time of the year when hand washing is most important. I am going to keep a close eye on the tippy taps by maternity and the butiki and see what kind of action they’re getting. I’m expecting the worst and hoping for the best.




Now that's a tippy tap!!



The Matrone testing out the "foot pedal".
Looks like it's working.