The Life-Saving Tippy Tap

The only materials required to make a Tippy Tap are a jerry can that is commonly used to fetch water, bamboo poles or sticks, and a long rope. Jerry cans are commonly found in every home (in the local communities) so their cost is negligible.

It's very simple to make. Two bamboo poles or wooden sticks are made to stand upright on the ground, and another is put horizontally across on top like a clothesline. The jerry can is hung by its handle from the horizontal stick on top, the rope is tied to the cap and then a short stick is tied at the other end on the ground so that it can work as a pedal. When you step on the pedal, the jerry can tilts over and water flows out through a small hole.

Tippy Tap. Inexpensive and simple. It can be easily adopted by every family.

In Japan, it is normal to wash both hands with tap water at the same time, but in developing countries where tap water isn’t available in homes, people collect water in plastic containers and wash their hands by pouring water out from the container, or with a jug. This means one hand must hold the container, which prevents dirt from being washed away properly from that hand. Rubbing your hands together is important to get rid of contaminants and germs. However, with a Tippy Tap, you can wash both hands at the same time without touching anything, which helps to prevent diseases. 

Furthermore, the small hole in the jerry can allows water to trickle out, so you can wash your hands with a small amount of water. And it’s easy to stop the waterflow by taking your foot off the pedal so you can conserve water.

HOPE not only constructs water systems in the remote villages of southern Ethiopia but we also provide awareness and training on hygiene and sanitation practices. Providing handwashing instructions to the local communities is essential at our intervention sites where water is not easily accessible, especially since the custom of washing hands is not a common practice.

When the construction of the water supply starts, our field educators visit each family to inform them of the importance of hand washing and we also recommend the use of Tippy Taps. If handwashing is made easier by using Tippy Taps, the habit will take root.

Residents of the Bonke district in southern Ethiopia are used to washing their faces and hands with water from streams and puddles. After the construction of a water system is completed and becomes functional, those who get sick from using contaminated water can regain their health with access to clean water from HOPE’s water system. Furthermore, the use of Tippy Taps makes handwashing easy, so they can wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet, making themselves less susceptible to infectious diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever.

Understanding the importance of hand washing can also help raise awareness about hygiene and sanitation. Locals who previously defecated in the open, and used to dry their dishes on the ground, now build and use toilets in their homes and use dish drying racks. The added benefit is that for many households the improvement of hygiene has reduced their medical costs and thus has helped ease their household finances.

We have repeatedly seen that a small change in the awareness of hygiene and sanitary practices in local communities can greatly improve their lives. Similarly, each and every little contribution can make a big difference to those living in the distant villages of Ethiopia.

Your support can help improve the hygiene and sanitation of local Ethiopian communities, prevent infectious diseases, and contribute to making major positive changes in their lives.