Humanitarian aid agency GOAL is calling on families in Co. Dublin to build their own ‘tippy tap’ hand-washing device to highlight issues facing vulnerable communities around the world fighting Coronavirus.
A tippy tap is a simple but ingenious device used in many developing contexts to wash hands when there is no access to running water. It can be built using an empty plastic container, sticks and string, easy to find even during lockdown.
GOAL says it’s #GOALTippyTapTag online campaign provides a fun activity at a time when we are all confined, but will also send out a message that while we may be far apart in this time of a global pandemic, we can stand together in solidarity no matter where we are in the world.
Whether looking for an educational activity for children or more meaningful online fun while working at home, people are encouraged to make a tippy tap in their garden, balcony, yard, post a video or photo on social media using the hashtag #GOALTippyTapTag, and tag three more people to do the same.
Thousands of people supported by GOAL who don’t have access to running water use these homemade washing devices to keep wash their hands and fight the spread of infections. Handwashing is a simple message but 2.3 billion people across the globe don’t have access to basic sanitation.
GOAL Director of Fundraising, Eamon Sharkey, said: “A Tippy Tap serves as a strong and tangible symbol of the global nature of the COVID-19 crisis, demonstrating that we are all part of one global community and that unified actions, such as washing our hands, can make us all safer and more secure.
“By building and sharing your tippy tap online you are sending a message that we are all in this together and that while we may be far apart in distance, we can stay close together in solidarity. With parents working from home and children off school, making a tippy tap is an excellent way of highlighting the importance of washing their hands, while teaching them how vulnerable communities live without running water. Just remember, there is no substitute for washing your hands under running tap water with soap when it is available, like here in Ireland. “
Already facing hunger, conflict and displacement, vulnerable communities need the international community’s support in their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. GOAL is already on the ground in its 13 countries of operation in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America supporting communities in fighting the spread of the virus.
The tippy tap is a simple and way to wash your hands that is suitable for areas with no running water, according to the WHO GOAL has experience in infectious diseases control and led on the response to the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.
Tippy Tap Tag will be taking place online including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can find details on how to build your very own tippy tap at www.goalglobal.org/goaltippytaptag
Pictured above: Four-year-old Sinead O’Suilleabhain from Dalkey in Co. Dublin making a tippy tag in her back garden
