Corby company helps with the laundry in poorer countries

Martin Heath - BBC News, Northampton
Tue, December 12, 2023 

Navjot Sawhney created the hand-cranked washing machine

Hand-cranked washing machines for people in poorer countries are being built at a company in Northamptonshire.

RS Components, based in Corby, is working with the Washing Machine Project, set up by an engineer who saw a neighbour in India struggling to do the washing.

The machines are designed to be quicker and easier than washing by hand.

They are being used by communities in countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Uganda.

When Navjot Sawhney saw what washing clothes was like in India, he decided to use his engineering skills to make it easier for people by offering a machine that is operated by hand, rather than electricity.

He said: "They wash with cold water in buckets, on the floor, causing back pain, joint pain and skin irritation.

"With our machine, it saves 75% of time and 50% of water compared to handwashing clothes, and they can use that time to work, study or rest."

He set up the Washing Machine Project (WMP) which has sent 180 machines to 15 countries so far.

Staff have volunteered to work with the Washing Machine Project to construct 60 machines

Staff at RS Components have been working with WMP volunteers to make the components of the machine, including the drum and the crank handle, which are then sent as flat-packs to their destination.

James Tucker from RS Components said that staff who volunteer on the project "feel a real connection" with people in poorer countries who use them

James Tucker, from RS Components, said: "We can offer some of the parts that help to build the machines and then we'll also help to ship them to the end beneficiaries so it really feels full cycle.

"Our staff that have been involved really feel that connection with the people that are receiving the machines.

The hand-cranked machine, known as the Divya, is designed be simple and economical to use and does not need electricity

For Navjot Sawhney, the project fulfils a promise he made to a woman in India who he saw spending hours washing clothes by hand every day.

He said: "I promised her a manual washing machine - her name was Divya and we've actually named our washing machine after her."