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Navjot Sawhney raised £65 from 5 supporters

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Closed 25/09/2017

0%
£65
raised of £2,000 target by 5 supporters

    Weʼve raised £65 to fund the development of a product that will help better the lives of millions of women and children around the world.

    Funded on Monday, 25th September 2017

    Don't have time to donate right now?

    Story

    I’m continuing my efforts to help to save lives in the developing world. Last year I gave up my job and salary for a year and moved to India with Engineering Without Borders UK, to work unpaid as a research and development manager for social enterprise Prakti, a cook stove company that makes improved stoves that are 80% more fuel efficient and produce 80% less smoke. These stoves will continue to save lives. More information here: https://tinyurl.com/yblnnxu3

    Whist volunteering in South India, I noticed that women trek miles to collect water and haul it home by the bucket load before washing their clothes one piece of a time. This can take up to 3 hours a day and needs to be done as many as five times a week, outside and in all-weather with hands constantly plunged in basins of cold, soapy water, it’s a time-consuming task that falls solely on women. Mothers and daughters typically spend 15 hours each week scrubbing each piece of their family’s clothing and wringing out the harsh washing detergent by hand. It's back breaking work, that often leads to chronic problems later on in life. Village women seem to spend more time washing clothes by hand than doing anything else. From dawn to dusk the shores of lake and rivers are lined with women scrubbing, ringing and rinsing their families’ clothes, for something that is relatively unproductive

    I want to change this. Nav’s Project 365 is creating a product that turns dirty laundry from a distressing ordeal into a simple chore. We are developing a product that is self-contained and requires no electricity. It will be much more efficient than hand washing and will save time. It will be more comfortable to use, less wearing on the back, arms and hands. Whole loads can be washed at once and it can be carried to the water source or used indoors in bad weather. In addition, the machine is a chance for women to make money because the time saved doing the family’s clothes means that they can take in other people’s washing. Human-powered washing machines are not a new idea, but the challenge here was to design a one that's cheap, portable and easy to use, yet gets the clothes clean and relatively dry – something that I have experienced considerably at my year in Prakti.

    I know I’m lucky: I’ve got a good education, and relative stability. I’m able to travel where I want and do the things I feel like without worrying about money. Having enough to eat, access to clean water and healthcare are things that I don’t even need to think about. I want to use my good fortune to support others, who don’t have the same luxuries – but I want to do this in a sustainable way that will make a lasting change to as many people as possible. That's why I’m combining my desire to help people with my engineering skills, to continue to make a difference to the lives of millions across the developing world.

    Whilst developing this product, I’ll be using my blog, Nav’s Project 365, as a platform to share updates, to raise awareness on this social issue in India and across the world, as well creating change.

    The money that you help me raise will be used to fund the research, development and product launch (4th quarter 2018) of this much-needed solution .

    Updates

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    Navjot Sawhney

    Updates appear here

      7 years ago

      Navjot Sawhney started crowdfunding

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      Page last updated on: 8/28/2017 16.29

      Supporters

      5

      • Jeetender Jones

        Jeetender Jones

        Aug 28, 2017

        £30.00

      • Jeanette

        Jeanette

        Aug 27, 2017

        Keep up the good work and the inspirational stories.

        £10.00

      • Deborah Borrett

        Deborah Borrett

        Aug 27, 2017

        Happy birthday!

        £5.00

      • s Scholes

        s Scholes

        Aug 27, 2017

        Anything that helps reduce the burden on Women in India is worth the donations we make. Keep up the great work, Nav!

        £10.00

      • Anonymous

        Anonymous

        Aug 27, 2017

        Keep up the good work Nav! And happy birthday!

        £10.00

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      Navjot Sawhney

      Navjot Sawhney

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