Otago primary school teachers and pupils are being asked to help their counterparts in Papua New Guinea by inventing a method of washing hands that requires little water.
The Wara Bilong Life online project will challenge year 1-10 pupils in both countries to come up with a gizmo which dispenses little water, while teaching them the importance of hand washing to combat disease.
Project co-ordinator Monica Fry said when Kiwi kids lined up at the wash basin, the last thing on their minds was whether there would be enough water to wash their hands.
However, in the highland schools of Papua New Guinea, it was a different story. Droughts, combined with a lack of water tanks, made water a precious commodity, she said.
Any good inventions by pupils would be put to use.
The project will run for nine weeks from October 13 and Dunedin members of the Oxfam Water for Survival Programme will provide assistance.
