Here’s the story of five 13-year-old boys who designed and installed toilet urinals at their school using recycled plastic bottles. These ingenious teens were motivated by the lack of a sanitary toilet at their school, Panchayat Union Middle School in India.
A Very Stinky Problem
The lack of a sanitary toilet meant that the boys were urinating on the floor. As a result, drops of urine would fall on their sandals and feet. This resulted in several problems. First, the urine became a source of persistent stench in the classroom. Then, this would result in the boys suffering from nausea and stomach aches. Furthermore, because the existing toilet did not have an effective drainage system, infections were common.
Getting Creative with Recycled Plastic Bottles
Five middle school students – Supikpandian, Santhosh, Dhiyanithi, Ragul, and Prabaharan – took the problem into their own hands. Because the cost of installing new urinals was very high, the boys decided to invent a new low-cost system. They called it the “Safe Mode Pissing System.”
The system uses donated 20 liter recycled plastic bottles that were no longer useful because they were damaged or leaking. The boys cut each bottle into a shape that resembles a urinal. In addition, the boys collected funds from students and teachers to purchase other low-cost, light-weight piping supplies for the drainage system. Finally, they also installed drip irrigation pipes so they could “flush” the urinals.
A Winning Idea
Amazingly, the boys did not stop there. Once the system was implemented in their school, they went out into the community and to other schools to create awareness about the importance of having a sanitary toilet and to offer up their design to others. They believe that their innovation can help make for a cleaner country:
“We can implement this project not only in schools, but also in houses and public places. We can prevent urinary infections and stenches by implementing it. This will reduce the number of patients in the community. Through this project, we can make the country clean and hygienic…We can observe the motive of the scheme ‘Swachh Bharat’ (Clean India).” (Source)
The project won the ‘Boldest Idea’ award at the ‘I CAN Awards 2016’ organized by Design for Change.
Conclusion
These 13-year-olds are a great example of ingenuity. They took an innovative approach towards solving a problem, even with limited resources and funds. Children have an amazing capacity to participate in community and help solve problems, as long as we’re willing to give them the freedom to do so.
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