Designer, Nifemi Marcus-Bello: My name is Nifemi Marcus-Bello. I’m an industrial designer based in Lagos, Nigeria. The For The Community By The Community - Handwashing Station was designed in 2020, during the pandemic.
I started speaking to different colleagues in the medical sector in Nigeria. A lot of the handwashing station solutions weren’t able to go from ward to ward. Health practitioners would have to leave a room to wash their hands. But with this hand washing station, the idea was that they would push it to spaces where it’s actually needed.
The Handwashing Station’s main frame is made out of tubular steel that was inspired by a locally-made cart, called the meruwa, that supplies water from a central system to various houses or institutions in Lagos. Underneath the Handwashing Station, you’d see two 50-liter kegs. The one on the left is supposed to hold clean water while the one on the right takes the wastewater in.
On the top of the Handwashing Station is the tap. We realized that germs were actually easily spread when medical practitioners were touching surfaces, so there’s a sensor just below the tap. Sustainability was extremely key, so the idea was if a part is damaged, it can be easily replaced, and the station is easily broken down when the lifecycle of the product has ended.
I actually studied design in the UK. I came back to Lagos thinking that some of the tools that I had learned could bring heavy change into society. But I’m realizing that design can’t be an agent of change without the right policies in place.