Mexico

Method of Washing: Hand washing
Physical Impact of Hand washing: Most respondents reported experiencing physical pain while washing clothes, including back, hip, knee, hand, shoulder, and waist pain. Many also felt tired during or after washing.
Water Source: In Puebla, the main water source was piped water, while in Chiapas, households used a mix of piped water and rainwater.
Average Time Taken per Wash: 152 minutes
Average Amount of Water Used per Wash: Puebla – 200 litres; Chiapas – 60 litres.
Detergent Use: 540 grams of detergent and powder, or in some cases half a bar of soap.
Most Important Aspect of Washing: Cleanliness of clothes.

Marisela and Oraima

Marisela is from Ocuilapa and is a single mother to Oraima. A widower, her husband passed away years ago and has had to raise 3 children on her own.

She works at a coffee plantation, spending three hours per day walking to and from the farm.

Her work is hard, involving tough physical labour and washing clothes when she comes home is really tough.

With the manual washing machine, she’s looking forward to her children being able to help out with washing clothes and making the process easier.

Pottery Co-operative

Pottery Cooperative is made up of five households—around 20 people—who share a Divya washing machine in their communal inner yard, alongside shared bathroom and kitchen facilities.

Although they had an electric washing machine, it broke a while ago and now sits unused, a common issue in Mexico, where access to electricity can be unreliable or spare parts difficult to get hold of.

Having a functional manual washing solution has freed up time for income-generating activities, allowing co-op members to focus on their pottery work and other productive tasks, ultimately enhancing their livelihoods.

Juan

Juan, a male user of the machine, returned to the village after achieving higher education. He works with steel, so his clothes can get very dirty.

He is one of the few men that uses the machine, and he highlighted how it allows him to do laundry in the evenings when it's too cold to do it by hand. His recommendations on how to improve the instructions for the machine influenced the new instructions completed by R&D (guidance on one revolution per second). He’s trained as a super user, maintaining machines for community and support for new users.

Rosita

Rosita is a single mother raising three sons on her own, balancing daily responsibilities with earning a living.

She relies on traditional weaving as her primary income-generating activity. The process is entirely manual and time-intensive—taking 1.5 months to complete a single shirt.

With access to a washing machine, Rosita can free up valuable time that would otherwise be spent on handwashing clothes, allowing her to focus more on her craft and increase her productivity, ultimately improving her livelihood.

Orphanage

The Orphanage is home to 50 children and supported by 20 staff members. Children typically range in age from 5 to 25, with some continuing to live at the orphanage for up to two years while attending university.

As part of their education, the children help care for pigs and cows, learning valuable skills in animal care, sustainability, and food production while fostering a connection with nature.

Laundry is a shared responsibility, with everyone aged 5 and up participating under the supervision of older students.

The Divya Washing Machine will used to reduce time spent washing clothes, increase capacity to wash clothes and reduce physical burden of washing clothes,