Help Us Build Hand Washing Stations for Oaxaca

Description:

We are taking immediate steps to ensure that our local community and Indigenous communities in Oaxaca are informed, protected and prioritized during the COVID-19 global health pandemic.

We are building portable hands-free devices for hand washing that are especially designed for rural areas where there is no running water. Our stations are operated by a foot lever and thus reduce the chance for the transmission of COVID-19, as the user only touches a bar of soap suspended by a string.

The stations can be made with locally-sourced materials at virtually no cost. The basic set of required materials includes wood or several sticks, string, soap and a container for the water. They do not require running water, just clean water, which is essential, as 30% of the Mexican population does not have access to clean running water.

We are carefully following guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to ensure these stations are safe.

We installed our first hand washing station in front of a busy food market La Merced in Oaxaca City, and have been asked by the local Market Administration as well as community members in Indigenous villages to build and distribute more stations.

Please consider donating to help us cover the costs of materials and tools needed for our Hand Washing Stations. Each station costs about $45 to build.

All remaining funds will be donated to Cruz Rojo Mexicana Delegación Estatal Oaxaca, The Red Cross Oaxaca, México.