Clean water is one of the most basic and essential human rights, yet a third of people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. Access to clean water not only protects our health, but also allows businesses like agriculture and tourism to flourish and create jobs that allow families to live with dignity. However, there are many barriers to clean water that can prevent people from having access to the life-saving resource.
The tippy tap technology helps to address some of these challenges, providing access to clean water at critical times of the day for those who do not have easy access to it. Tippy taps are cheap, easy to construct, entertaining for children and are an effective tool to help people wash their hands at the most important times of the day – before handling food, after using the latrine, and after cleaning a young child’s bottom.
Our research shows that tippy taps increase handwashing practice at the critical junctures in households. Despite this, other water and sanitation issues still need to be addressed to fully improve hygiene practices and health outcomes, including broader messaging about the importance of washing hands after handling animal stool and disposing of it correctly in the latrine.
SPRING has been working to include messages that emphasize this connection in all of our community-based work. As a result, the tippy taps are being used more frequently by our FNS participants. They are also reporting a number of other positive changes in their lives since installing the tippy tap. These include: washing their hands more often, better family health, improved nutrition for their children, and a happier and healthier home.
