Handwashing: new water-saving technology introduced in Rwanda

Updated - Wednesday 28 November 2007

Minisante, the Ministry of Health of Rwanda, is promoting the Canacla, a new individual and public hand-washing technology. It comprises of a small pot that is fitted with a water flushing mechanism similar to that used in indoor toilets. The user lifts a self-closing lever with their wrists, thus eliminating contamination that can occur when using taps and also saving water. For a single handwash using an ordinary tap, a person can easily use 2 litres of water, compared to 0.03 litres when using the Canacla.

The Canacla was chosen for a trial in 2004 in Minisante after consulting with experts from the World Health Organization (WHO). Ministry employees also started using the Canacla at home. The results were so encouraging that Minisante is distributing a hundred Canacla samples to hospitals around the country. Minisante also plans to launch a media campaign to promote the method. At the same time the ministry wants to bring down the cost of the Canacla, from the present RWF 10,000 (EUR 12.80) for the conventional clay model, to RWF 1,000 (EUR 1.28). There is already a plastic version available for RWF 2,000 (EUR 2.56)

The Canacla was invented by Jacques Vanhercke. He is the son of Dr Ben Vanhercke, a Belgian doctor in Dakar, Senegal, where the Canacla was first used. The Belgian NGO Courants N/S Solidaires is supporting the production of the Canacla in Morocco.

Web site : couraNts Solidaires - Le Canacla [in French]

Video: see how the Canacla works on YouTube [in French]

Contact: Philbert Ciza, Ministry of Health, Rwanda, http://www.moh.gov.rw/contact.html, info@moh.gov.rw

Source: Joseph Karama, Focus Media / allAfrica.com, 1 Nov 2007