Student creates minimalist wash bags for refugees
A student has conceived a product that helps refugees solve hygiene problems while they are in transit, and he plans to sell it at summer music festivals in the UK.
Following an eye-opening experience as a volunteer at the ill-famed Calais tent city, John Godfrey of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin decided to try and "make a difference in a small way."
"I went over to Calais in January and it quickly became apparent that hygiene and sanitation were the biggest problems in the camp, with no plumbing system and poor irrigation," he told Mashable.
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He started working on the idea of providing an essential sanitary kit to people within the camp. Quickly, the idea became a five-month final-year project which was just recently finalised.
It consists in a portable wash bag containing key components such as hand soap, toothpaste, grooming kits, napkins, shavers, as well as a torch and a 10-litre collapsible camp shower.
The contents of the wash bag, which has a minimalist, compact design and is easily transportable, last one month.
Godfrey wants to implement a "buy one give one" model and plans to sell the item at music festivals. "I want to get young people involved in the issue," he said. "Everyone knows about the refugee crisis but it doesn't affect them directly. It's tough for people to get involved in issues about people they never met."
According to the business model, revellers who buy a wash bag would automatically donate one to people in camps around Europe. Wash bags have a production cost of €6 ($6.79), so a sale price of €12 would cover the donation.
"Ideally, I would like to produce things locally where crisis is," Godfrey said. "You could catch two birds with one stone: helping people and provide for the local economy."
"It would be interesting to do it in Calais, where tensions are high."
The three prototypes for men, women and children, which will go on display at the NCAD Graduate Exhibition, are not exclusively for refugees, Godfrey stresses.
"It has greater potential, it could be used everywhere by anyone," he said.
Godfrey hopes to attract the interest of larger manufacturers of personal hygiene. "It would be great to have a big company behind it. It should have a bigger reach than just a student," he said.
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