Back in Khartoum we were told that all - absolutely all - Team Sites now have functioning laundry containers with automatic laundry machines and dryers. For those unfamiliar with the operation of such high tech equipment, allow me to do a picture demonstration of the major phases of a modern, high end washer-dryer unit, as found in Yei TS:
First the dirty clothes are put in the machine to soak. Please note the rock solid engineering that went into the machine, as well as the small number of moving parts that can fail after extensive use.
After soaking, the laundry is vigorously agitated, resoaked and squeezed by the moving arms, guided by a stereoscopic vision system in conjunction with a heuristic organic computer.
After the inbuilt sensors in the arms determines that the clothes are as clean as they are going to be, excessive detergent is rinsed out in clean water and the clothes are squezed to get rid of excess water. No spinning drum here, that would make the house shake!
After the finished cycle, water is drained from the laundry machine without the need for pumps or other breakable parts. A pump needs spare parts, but gravity works forever!
Later, the now clean clothes are transfered to the dryer, for a gentle drying cycle that does not put any undue stress on delicate fabrics.
Well, lets face it: The people in Khartoum had gotten it wrong, yet again. But my clothes are clean, and almost dry, with just a little bit of elbow grease. And few things in Africa are better than a non-sweaty t-shirt!
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