Hy2U in action!

Only a few months after it was first conceived, one of the students who was working on the project, a girl named Julia, took the Hy2U with her to Ghana (pictures soon to follow).

This is where the first children who had lived their lives wihtout running tap-water got to use the Hy2U. I only wish I had been there, but I remember the story Julia told very well. Traveling away from cities, electricity, infrastructures, sewers and taps, Julia met people for whom the luxury of running water was something that was reserved for richer, more privileged people.

After only a few days, all that had changed. Suddenly, children could wash their hands without contaminating the water-source (a major problem with the "2 bucket system" that had been used before). With only a small amount of water, dozens of children's hands became clean, and what had been impossible was suddenly achieved.

Julia told me about how enthusiastic local people were about the idea of the Hy2U. The idea inspired them to experiment on their own, making bigger bags, changing the cloth to make it more beautiful, and dreaming about all sorts of luxuries they could create for themselves using such a simple idea.

All the same, the design was not perfect. People missed something to catch the water as it fell down, creating mud and mess. The results of the trip inspired a new wave of design, and an even better Hy2U that we can't wait to show to those children in Ghana.