The COVID-19 pandemic has made access to water and soap an essential priority, however, in Poullalé, a village in the Pissila commune in the centre-nord region of Burkina Faso, hundreds of residents do not have access to running water. Instead, residents like restaurant owner Ouédraogo Boydouyalma (pictured below) buy hand-washing devices with a faucet. Unfortunately, these devices become unhygienic very quickly and waste water.
The USAID-funded Victory against Malnutrition Plus (ViMPlus) activity promotes good hygenic practices to keep businesses open and helps communities thrive during the pandemic. In June 2020, to promote hygienic practices as part of the fight against COVID-19, ViMPlus demonstrated best hand-washing practices and how to build tippy taps—a hands free way to wash your hands, typically operated by a foot lever—in the communes of Pissila, Tougouri, Yalgo and Nagbingou. The people of these communes took this knowledge and began constructing tippy taps on a large scale.
After attending the demonstration by ViMPlus in his village, Ouédraogo Boydouyalma built tippy taps in his restaurant using the frame of his old hand-washing device.
“That’s how I made my tippy tap and all my customers wash their hands before eating and after eating, they waste less water, some passersby also wash their hands because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tippy tap is easy to create and people like to use it.”
Ouédraogo Boydouyalma, restaurant owner, Pissila commune
In Poullalé, Mr. Ouédraogo is not the only one building tippy taps. The abbot of the church of Saint Pierre de Poullalé installed four tippy taps around his church to be used by parishioners. Butchers and other restaurant owners have also constructed tippy taps for their customers. With the help of ViMPlus, the community of Poullalé are successfully prioritizing their health and hygiene.
