HappyTap: aspirational handwashing device commercialization in Vietnam

In many developing countries, handwashing with soap offers huge potential for improved public health due to its unique effectiveness as a barrier against a variety of important diseases such as diarrheal disease, respiratory infections, trachoma, and others. Based loosely on the lessons from the sanitation marketing approach, the HappyTap commercialization project leverages the private sector to manufacture, distribute, and activate household demand for an aspirational handwashing device. This briefing paper shares early lessons and experiences from a pioneering program to develop and market a handwashing device for rural households in Vietnam. Initial experience is promising and suggests potential for mass scale uptake of aspirational devices.