Electrocomponents supports The Washing Machine Project

Electrocomponents' three-year fundraising effort will secure the development and distribution of an innovative off-grid washing machine for humanitarian purposes

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Electrocomponents has chosen to support The Washing Machine Project Foundation, pledging to support the project for three years, with initiatives that also involve the Group's employees, customers and suppliers in fundraising and volunteer activities.

"At Electrocomponents, we are committed to inspiring a more sustainable world through education and innovative solutions that improve lives," said Lindsley Ruth, CEO of Electrocomponents. "That's why we have chosen The Washing Machine Project Foundation as our first global charity partner and will mobilise our people, customers and suppliers in support of this fantastic cause."

The charity project: a washing machine can make a difference

The Washing Machine Project was created in 2018 by British engineer Nav Sawhney following a sabbatical in South India, where he saw women and children endure many gruelling hours washing clothes by hand. He discovered that 70% of the world's population does not have access to an electric washing machine and for many washing clothes in rivers, lakes and with buckets is the only solution. Hand washing clothes is recognised as one of the main barriers to education for low-income and displaced people worldwide. This repetitive and demanding task, which can take up to 20 hours a week, also often leads to chronic back and joint pain.

Nav has thus developed a prototype off-grid hand crank washing machine, called the Divya, which does not require electricity to operate but uses a flywheel mechanism with drum-in-drum technology and combines washing and spinning functions. Designed to be made of reusable, readily available and easy to maintain components, it can be operated and fixed anywhere by anyone. Using the Divya reduces the time spent washing clothes by hand by 75% and requires 50% less water. It can handle loads of up to 5 kg, despite weighing only 12 kg.

Nav and his team at The Washing Machine Project are working to further improve the design and expand its humanitarian, sustainable and educational impact. With different activation modes, such as push, pull and foot, the Divya Two will be easier to use for people with disabilities. It has also been modified to be used while seated, to reduce muscle and joint strain and promote better posture.

After a testing period that started last year, 50 Divyas are now in use in the Jeddah 5 refugee camp in Mosul, federal Iraq. By 2023, the plan is to have at least 7,500 machines available for disadvantaged families and communities in 10 countries, providing relief to some 100,000 people.

The three-year partnership with Electrocomponents will enable the charity to ease the burden of washing clothes for thousands of hard-hit families and communities. With an innovative engineering solution at its heart, The Washing Machine Project's mission resonated with that of Electrocomponents, as both organisations share an ambition to create a more sustainable world.

" Electrocomponents' support will come in the form of funding and critical components to develop our future machine and support our organisation so that we can reach many more people in need," commented Nav Sawhney, founder of The Washing Machine Project.


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