Solar shower bags for families in the Yagnob valley

2024-11-21 13:28

From October 22 to 26, the Little Earth staff visited villages in the remote Yagnob Valley where the organization is implementing the project “Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Women’s Participation in Mountain Communities of Yagnob.” There, 20 women participating in the project received solar shower bags that will help them heat water on clear, warm days and save firewood.

“These devices are in addition to the solar parabolic cookers, pressure cookers, and solar lighting systems that our participants received last year. By using them, families are reducing fuel consumption, improving their living and sanitation conditions, and saving money, while reducing the burden on the environment,” says Anton Timoshenko, executive director of the Little Earth.

The volume of each solar shower bag that the women received is 19 liters. The model has a fairly robust design and a functional shower head. The plastic buckle on the handle allows you to quickly hang the bag filled with water and easily withstands its weight. The device has a special thermal strip that shows the water temperature. A nice bonus is a pocket for small shower accessories and a small built-in mirror. When folded, the device takes up about as much space as a light sweatshirt with a hood. The weight of such a shower bag is about 600 grams.

"I saw such a shower bag at a friend's in a neighboring village. She also took part in your project, just last year. A very good thing. The water is heated by the sun, no need to waste firewood and dried manure. You can bathe, wash dishes, do laundry. I was told that in the summer the water heats up in less than an hour. Now I will use such a device myself," rejoices Dzhamila Kurbanova, a project participant from the village of Piskon.

During the distribution of solar shower bags, the staff of Little Earth introduced the women to the advantages of the new devices, explained how they function, and tested them outdoors.

“The solar shower bag is very convenient and lightweight. The device can be used both at home in the yard and in field conditions, for example, on summer pastures. A year earlier, we had already given 20 such devices to target families in neighboring villages, so our new project participants knew about these devices and were looking forward to receiving the same ones,” says Saifullo Safarov, an employee of the Little Earth.

We would like to remind you that the target villages of the project are located on the territory of the natural and ethnographic national park, created in 2019 to preserve the unique landscapes, as well as the special traditions and customs of the Yagnobi people. The knowledge and sustainable energy solutions provided to local residents as part of the project have a beneficial effect on both local communities and the environment.

The project “Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and Women’s Participation in Mountain Communities of Yagnob” is implemented with the support of the Swedish association Forum-CIV and with the assistance of the Swedish partner Centralasiengrupperna.