According to UNICEF, 40% of the world’s population do not have access to basic hand-washing facilities in their homes.
In Kenya, a mere 29% percent have access to sanitation, while 41% of the population does not have access to basic water services.
And now SATO, LIXIL Group Corporation’s social business is attempting to fill the gap by solving water, sanitation, and hygiene problems through affordable and easy-to-install sanitation systems to local communities around the world.
Early this week it launched its new hand-washing solution called the ‘SATO
Tap’. The group committed USD 1 million in line with its promise to support the commitments of development partners and others, which could impact 5 million people with improved hand-washing.
“The COVID-19 situation underscores the vast inequities in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for households in Africa and globally. We know that washing your hands with soap is one of the effective interventions against disease transmission. By bringing SATO’s design and engineering expertise, combined with global LIXIL support, we aim to accelerate this new hand-washing innovation to market, making it available to households to reinforce hand-washing behaviour change and to refine it for long-term offering in the SATO product portfolio.” said Erin McCusker, Vice President & Head of SATO.
The SATO Tap design consists of a plastic base with a nozzle that can be fitted with widely available plastic bottles.
It is compact and can be used both within the home and as a hand-washing station at public facilities.
The unique design ensures minimal contact between the user and the tap, thereby reducing the spread of disease, while the trickle action minimizes water use, meaning fewer refills, while maintaining a solid flow of water.
“We know that one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of diseases is to wash your hands. But for the poorest and most vulnerable children and families, the immediate risk of COVID-19 is compounded by a lack of basic hand-washing facilities,” said Kelly Ann Naylor, UNICEF, Associate Director, WASH. “This global pandemic has made it more essential than ever to work closely with governments and private sector partners, like LIXIL, to ensure hand-washing is possible for all.”
Speaking on the need for innovative hygiene solutions, Daigo Ishiyama, Chief Technology and Marketing Officer SATO, said, “We believe the SATO Tap will help advocate life changing behavior, promote hygiene and reinforce handwash behavior change by mitigating risks while conserving water.”
