ARC Staff construct a Tippy Tap

	ARC’s Director Martin Palmer trials the newly constructed Tippy Tap (Note the use of the office chair base in the bottom left corner.)

Tippy Tap is promoted as a simple device that can be built by anyone. To put this theory to the test, members of the ARC staff decided to build their own Tippy Tap during a lunch break.

The first task was to find four adequate sticks to use as the basic frame and foot lever. Then, to avoid digging up the grounds, some improvisation was required: So as to keep the vertical sticks for our frame ‘upright’, we managed to find the bases of two disused office chairs to act as supports for our frame.

When the frame had been secured in place, the team followed the rest of the instructions, (obtained from tippytap.org) using the few basic materials required such as string, a nail, a candle etc.

The finished product was surprisingly successful. The small hole made in the top of the container ensures that only the required amount of water is used and there is minimum wastage. On top of that, it really did allow for complete hand washing without touching anything except the bar of soap.

The only problem seemed to be that there has to be enough water in the container at all times to ensure that the weight keeps it upright when it is not in use.

It is important to note that it is only a short-term solution and not one that is introduced to replace the search for the development of sanitation facilities.

	Members of the ARC team get involved

	'Mukombe' - The first version of the Tippy Tap