A Makerere University student has developed a disposable female urination device designed to enable women to urinate while standing, a solution he says could help reduce exposure to unhygienic public toilets.
David Kaleebu, the innovator behind the product dubbed Pee-Gal, said the idea was inspired by challenges faced by women, particularly elderly women who find it difficult to squat when using toilets.
‘You realize that most old women cannot squat to urinate and many young women today complain about urinary tract infections because they have to use public toilets which sometimes are not clean. These days women have to work unlike the past when they were at home,’ he said.
Kaleebu explained that the device is a disposable paper funnel that allows women to urinate while standing instead of squatting. The flexible paper material is placed over the genital area to direct urine and minimise contact with toilet surfaces.
A packet contains 15 disposable funnels together with a sanitizer, gel and lotion for personal hygiene after use.
The innovation is among 64 student projects being exhibited by Makerere University’s Department of Visual Communication Design and Multimedia Design at the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts and the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT).
According to Dr Richard Lukenge Kamya, the project lead, the exhibition showcases final-year projects developed by students of the Bachelor of Visual Communication Design and Multimedia programme.
‘This exhibition showcases capstone projects across diverse design disciplines, including branding and packaging, web media, advertising design, print production, photography and videography, and integrated design practices,’ he said.
The exhibition, which opened on June 1, runs until June 6 at the Makerere University Art Gallery.
Other innovations on display include Tulye-A, a food delivery application targeting students within Makerere University; Tugabane, an app that enables students to exchange clothes free of charge; and a navigation application designed to help patients find their way around Mulago National Referral Hospital and track medical appointments.
Students have also developed food preservation products made from paper, clay, bamboo and glass, as well as Rola Wrap, a biodegradable wrapping paper for Uganda’s popular rolex snack that contains embedded seeds which can be planted after use.
Additional projects include processed tonto packaged in glass bottles, Campus Roast, a coffee bar concept aimed at promoting coffee consumption among university students, and garbage banking systems that reward users with points that can later be converted into money for depositing recyclable waste.
Dr Kamya said the projects demonstrate how design and innovation can be applied to address practical social, environmental and economic challenges.