As COVID-19 slowly spreads throughout the world, some have used this experience as an opportunity to create. 32-year-old shoemaker Richard Kwarteng and his brother Jude Osei are two brothers who are certainly included in this innovation boom. Located in Kumasi, Ghana’s cultural capital, the brothers used the city’s two-week lockdown as time to invent a solar-powered hand-washing basin called SolaWash. 

They noticed that opportunities to wash one’s hands were often slim in Ghana.  One day, while staring at a pile of recyclables and other materials, Kwarteng had a brilliant idea.

In a statement obtained by CNN, he said, “My brother and I decided we would create a basin to encourage regular hand-washing etiquette." They took this observation and from it came the first solar-powered hand-washing machine in Ghana. They designed it so that the faucet would run for 25 seconds, following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, then shut off without even having to touch it. A video of their product quickly went viral on Twitter, and it caught the attention of many.

The Building Process 

To create such an invention, the brothers began with the recycled materials they had and then headed to the market. They already had the large barrel their design would revolve around so they only had to purchase a sink, a faucet, a motherboard, a solar panel, a sensor and an alarm. After obtaining all the materials, they knew they needed help with the electrical work so they called upon their friend Amkwaah Boakye to do the wiring. They were able to gather the materials in only 48 hours and complete their project in just five days. 

How Does It Work? 

To wash your hands using the basin, you simply place them under the faucet. The device, programmed by the brothers, releases soapy water when hands or other items are picked up by the sensor installed underneath the faucet. The faucet runs for 25 seconds, then an alarm beeps to let the user know their hand-washing is complete. Water is then released again to rinse off any excess soap before drying. Their design is meant to not only be sanitary but also to conserve as much water and energy as possible. 

What Will They Do With It? 

The brothers have been commended by Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo for their incredible work, and he hopes to make their product widely available. Ghana's Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation also reached out to the brothers in order to plan for mass distribution. They are hoping to quickly manufacture and distribute these hand-washing basins in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, and Kwarteng is encouraging this as well. 

This process can officially begin as the Ghana Standards Authority released their official certification of the product. Professor Alex Dodoo, director-general of the GSA, has his full support behind the brothers as well. He presented the certificate to a manufacturer in Accra on Wednesday, and said the product had been tested for its safety and efficiency. Dodoo also noted that the hand-washing basin was ready for mass production, and he hopes to see this product used around the world. The certification given by the GSA attests to the product’s quality as it met international standards for electrically-controlled machines. That means that the hand-washing basin has the potential to not only save Ghanaian lives, but also many others around the world especially in places that do not have widespread sanitation accessibility.

Renee is currently an English student at The University of Georgia. She lives in Ellijay, Georgia, a small mountain town in the middle of Appalachia. A passionate writer, she is inspired often by her hikes along the Appalachian trail and her efforts to fight for equality across all spectrums. She hopes to further her passion as a writer into a flourishing career that positively impacts others.