Hi Mike, 

Thanks for your answer and sharing your experience.

I can see why you would say that and I agree with your point about fridges particularly in hospitals which need to be able to store medicines etc. 

Would you say that your grandparents had a steady and clean supply of water? Was the water and sanitation system in the UK quite developed at that time? 

I think I am thinking of it in a different way. Let us remember that there are different standards of living in every country. You have very rich people, the upper middle class, the middle class, the poor and people in between. This applies to developing countries as well. 

If, for example, I had to choose between clean water to drink, bathe with and  and roughly the same amount of water to use in a washing machine, I would go for the former. This doesn’t take into account the cost of buying and running a washing machine. If someone doesn’t have a steady income, or doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from, or doesn’t have immediate access to clean running water, or has more pressing needs to spend their money on i.e. hospital bills, school fees etc. Why would a washing machine be a priority for them? 

I think a lot of different factors need to be taken into account because it seems that we are making a lot of assumptions. This is why I asked if an actual study had been done with first hand information from the intended customers.

That’s not to say a washing machine won’t be a basic necessity in the developing world in the future, but as a matter of urgency I think lighting and as a result the ability to use plug in appliances, safer and more environmentally friendly ways to cook, better access to education, clean water, healthcare and security would be the most pressing issues to consider here. 

I agree that it is not our place to force solutions onto people that might not necessarily want it, or go in with a saviour complex.

Elizabeth 

Hi Mike, 

Thanks for your answer and sharing your experience.

I can see why you would say that and I agree with your point about fridges particularly in hospitals which need to be able to store medicines etc. 

Would you say that your grandparents had a steady and clean supply of water? Was the water and sanitation system in the UK quite developed at that time? 

I think I am thinking of it in a different way. Let us remember that there are different standards of living in every country. You have very rich people, the upper middle class, the middle class, the poor and people in between. This applies to developing countries as well. 

If, for example, I had to choose between clean water to drink, bathe with and  and roughly the same amount of water to use in a washing machine, I would go for the former. This doesn’t take into account the cost of buying and running a washing machine. If someone doesn’t have a steady income, or doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from, or doesn’t have immediate access to clean running water, or has more pressing needs to spend their money on i.e. hospital bills, school fees etc. Why would a washing machine be a priority for them? 

I think a lot of different factors need to be taken into account because it seems that we are making a lot of assumptions. This is why I asked if an actual study had been done with first hand information from the intended customers.

That’s not to say a washing machine won’t be a basic necessity in the developing world in the future, but as a matter of urgency I think lighting and as a result the ability to use plug in appliances, safer and more environmentally friendly ways to cook, better access to education, clean water, healthcare and security would be the most pressing issues to consider here. 

I agree that it is not our place to force solutions onto people that might not necessarily want it, or go in with a saviour complex.

Elizabeth