The design and development of a sanitation hand washing dispenser: a South African case study

South Africa is a country of extremes where many people in rural areas still lack basic services such as water and sanitation. It is estimated that 5 million South Africans do not have access to basic water services, while 17-18 million lack basic sanitation services. South Africa launched the WASH programme with one of the aims to increase the incidence of hand washing at the right times such that it results in a significant decrease in the incidence of water-related diseases. This paper looks at hand washing behvaviour in villages in two municipalities in South Africa and shows the technology development which evolved out of the difficulties being experience by households in the country to meet these basic hand washing requirements.