Elrha is an organisation that finds solutions to complex humanitarian problems through research and innovation. They work in partnership with a global community of humanitarian actors, researchers and innovators to improve the quality of humanitarian action and deliver better outcomes for people affected by crises.
Recently, the British, Kenyan and Ugandan Red Cross Societies, the International. Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), Arup and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) jointly applied to Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme, which aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises. The project will assess whether providing crisis-affected communities with increased access to desirable and durable handwashing facilities will lead to increases in handwashing practice.
The research aims to increase the effectiveness of handwashing among people affected by crisis with an evaluation of the Jengu Handwashing Facility. It will provide evidence on the acceptability, usability, durability, cost-benefits, maintenance and sustainable local production of Jengu.
While the project focuses on evaluating the Jengu handwashing facility, it will also generate broader insights about handwashing infrastructure and behaviour. R2HC is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Wellcome, and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The study is focussed on refugee settlements in rural Kenya and Uganda, with the results expected in 2025.
