Soap and Wash Stations

The Green Bright Kid Foundation Soap and Wash Stations (SWSs) provide effective hand hygiene use roofs to trap rainwater and dispenses carefully motored water and soap.

SA patent application no. 2020/04395

The SWSs solves two major problems: scarcity of water and scarcity of soap

Bright Kid Foundation has introduced Soap and Wash Stations to water scarce areas for clinics and schools. The foundation is also adding Wash Stations to existing Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs). These Wash Stations use the rainwater trapped by the roofs which is led into the tanks . Water is very scarce throughout many rural areas in South Africa. In addition, soap is not always readily available. As a result communities cannot easily access facilities where they can wash their hands with soap and water to prevent the spread of Covid-19. 

In many of Bright Kid Foundations Early Learning Development Centres a large roof was included. This collects rainwater which was fed into and stored in a substantial tank. The tank had one single tap and there were no facilities for soap and hand washing. The water was used mainly to irrigate community food gardens. 

The new Soap and Wash Stations consist of a roof area to trap the rain water, a tank to store the water and a Soap and Wash station structure that has a number of flow control taps and soap dispensers, ranging from two to eight. After washing the soapy water is led into a French drain which removes the soap, and the water can then be used to irrigate community food gardens. The Bright Kid Foundation Soap and Wash Station program consists of the following:

The Soap and Wash Station (SWS) uses push button soap and water dispensers to to limit the water and soap used. Roofs trap rainwater in tanks, and municipal water can also be used if necessary. The SWS is supplies with enough soap for 60,000 hand washes, and uses low cost liquid soap available everywhere. The SWS provides effective hand hygiene which is essential for a healthy community.