The tippy tap: a vital tool to stop disease spreading

How can a rope, a recycled water jug and four wooden poles help to fight debilitating neglected tropical diseases such as trachoma?

They are all used to make a tippy tap: a home-made device enabling people to wash their hands and faces in areas where there’s no running water.

In many poorer countries, a lack of clean water and basic sanitation can cause infectious diseases such as trachoma to spread more easily. If an infected person touches their eyes or nose and doesn’t wash their hands, they can easily pass on the bacteria to others.

The tippy tap is invaluable because it’s simple to build and it enables people to keep their hands and faces clean, which dramatically reduces the risk of infection.

As part of the SAFE strategy to fight these diseases, Sightsavers is helping people to build tippy taps outside their homes, near farms, and in schools to make sure they can wash their hands and faces after using the toilet or handling animals. This work is made possible through funding from organisations such as UK aid and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.