Rural Laundry in Ethiopia
A Quick Survey
Dec 2021
Addis Ababa
Contents
1. Background ……………………………………………………………………………………1
2. Location …………………………………………………………………………………………2
3. Discussion and Results …………………………………………………………………..3
3.1 Laundry Practices in Rural Villages and Rural Towns …………4
3.2 Laundry Practices of Washerwoman ………………………………..10
3.3 The Salient Points of Discussion Results …………………………..10
3.4 Short Stories …………………………………………………………….………12
4. Conclusion and Recommendation ……………………………………….……….13
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1. Background
The population of Ethiopia, as of Dec 2021, is estimated at 119 million based on
Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data,
([Link] of which nearly 80%
are living in rural areas. The sex ratio (men to women) is about 0.991 indicating that the
number of women comprises a little higher than 50% of the total population.
In rural Ethiopia, women are responsible for household tasks such as raising kids, cooking,
cleaning, and washing clothes while they also equally share responsibilities with men on farm
activities. Rural laundry washing has traditionally been highly gendered with the responsibility
falling to women. Women, particularly in urban areas, are doing laundry work not only for their
households but also for others in order to generate income used as a source of livelihood.
Almost all laundry works in rural Ethiopia and even in urban areas are still done by manual labor
using traditional materials that consume extra energy and time. Detergents are bar soaps,
powder soaps (Omo) are liquid soaps (Largo). Traditionally local materials plants or soils are
used s cleaning detergents in rural areas but are now replaced with manufactured detergents.
Endo, ash, animal fat, etc are examples. In most cases, they are required to travel long
distances a day either to fetch water for washing purposes at home or do the washing in rivers
and springs away from their home.
The impact is multidimensional affecting the lifestyle of many rural women in terms of health,
education, productivity, and political participation greatly undermining the global effort of
empowering women and achieving gender equality.
A quick survey was conducted in several rural villages of Ethiopia in order to collect data on the
current status of rural laundry to answer questions such as:
• who is most involved or responsible?
• how often the laundry is done? and what are the techniques?
• what materials and technology are used?
• What are the challenges and opportunities?
2. Survey Location and Method
The survey was conducted in Oromia Regional State, central rift valley of Ethiopia. It covered 3
woredas, namely Jeju, Arsi Sire and Merti with 2 kebeles/villages in each woreda comprising a
total of 6 villages. Agriculture and livestock breeding is the main source of livelihood for the
local community as is in many parts of rural Ethiopia. An additional survey was conducted in
and around Addis Ababa to understand the role of washerwomen in urban areas. It includes
two sub-cities of Addis Ababa city and Dukem town in the Oromia region. The location map of
the survey areas is shown below.
1
Location Map of Survey Areas
2
The data collection method involved formal and informal discussions with randomly selected
women members of the study area. During the interview, the discussants were performing
tasks such as washing clothes either at their yards or near water sources away from their
homes or engaged in other domestic and farm activities. The survey includes the experience of
13 women in the rural laundry.
Table showing details of interviewees, town, woreda and kebele/villages
No. Name Sex Kebele/village Woreda
1 Yeshwork Tegegn F Huruta doree Jeju
2 Gelani Jibril F Soqee Boqicha Sire
3 Nureti Rashid F Koloba biqqa Sire
4 Shuga Hachalu F Koloba Biqqa Sire
5 Zeyneba Amin FF Koloba Hawas Sire
6 Lelisa Eshetu M Ufra Agamssa Sre
7 Kidst Mengstu F Huruta doree Jeju
8 Sifaan Adem F Doni Boset
9 Shitu Muhabaw F Doni Boset
10 Mulat Kasu M Boset
11 Hangatu Seyd F Soqqe Boqicha Sire
12 Neima Musa F Arboye Jeju
13 Meseret Gugsa F Arboye Jeju
14 Yayesh Belayneh F Addis Ababa
15 Alem F Addis Ababa
16 Sifan F Dukem
3. Discussion and Results
Interviewees had been approached randomly while they are doing laundry in their respective
locations. It was not a structured interview approach but rather an informal friendly discussion.
The discussion points focused on the major issues mentioned above such as whose
responsibility is the rural laundry work, how often they do laundry, techniques, and technology
used for laundry, and what are the challenges and opportunities. The discussion results are
structured in two categories to address the issues of rural households doing laundry for their
family and urban washerwoman whose livelihood is dependent on washing clothes for others.
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3.1 Laundry Practices in Rural Villages and Rural Towns
Name Responses on
Whose Responsibility is laundry When, where and how What are the On the technology
washing laundry washing is done Challenges & /opportunity
opportunities
Yeshiwork • women • in rivers mostly • travel long distances • Glad if any technology
Tegegn • considered as an extra task scrubbing against to river nearly 4 hrs that can ease our
• our efforts and pains are not stones forth and back, nearly challenges is made
recognized • dry on trees and rocks 4 hrs spent washing available.
• bar and liquid (largo) clothes in total 8hr a • Ready to use it, even to
soap day. Once or twice a coordinate and
• bar soap powdered week. promote among
and boiled to act as a • Strong sun, thorny neighbors.
liquid soap since liquid footpaths, fatigue, • The wooden
soap cleans more sexual violence, theft centrifugal hand-
clothes washer seems
preferable
Galane Jibril • Women, no help from our • We use bar soaps or • Endless challenges • any tool that would
husbands liquid soap for • No rest even during ease or minimize our
• even they consider it as an extra cleaning, otherwise, we the weekends problems is welcome
activity and not well recognized simply wash using only • go to the river, wash • corrugated washing
• If there are girls in the family, they water when we aren’t the whole day when board looks ok
sometimes take the responsibility able to get soaps returning home, it is
to help us already dark
• overtiredness, strong
sun heat
• sometimes clothes
washed away by
running river water
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• flush floods during
rainy seasons, snake
and scorpion bites,
incidences of being
attacked and eaten
by wild animals like
hyenas and tigers
Nureti • Unthinkable that men are • Since river is far away • Enormous and • Very grateful to Allah if
Reshid expected to wash clothes, never. from us, we usually extreme challenges to any one of the tools
• Even when we give births women wash clothes during be told and not to be you mention are made
from neighborhoods help each holidays when there is told. available
other to wash our dirty (blood no farm works. • Snakes (python), • The wooden
soaked) clothes by wenfel (a kind • We scrub against river hyaenas. centrifugal hand
of cooperation among stones or use plastic • For example, my aunt washer seems fine
neighborhoods), not our husbands materials for washing. once stricken by the
• Thick and heavy devil when she was
clothes are usually washing clothes in
washed every 3 the river and now,
months. she is a lifetime
• We use bar soaps and mental sick (religious
liquid soaps when we or superstitious
have but just water belief)
only when soaps are
not available.
• Local traders usually
exaggerate prices of
soaps for maximum
profit
Shuga • It is a social norm among the • No fixed dates or time • What to say about • Both the wooden
Hachalu society that cloth washing is the for washing clothes, the enormous centrifugal hand
responsibility of women but usually I do the washer and corrugated
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• It is considered as an offensive for washing once in a week challenges? It is washing board look
men to do laundry washing for or in two weeks endless, good.
their families. • We use soaps only for • example my donkey
• A little educated men can the holiday just to was eaten by hyenas
understand somehow, otherwise pretend otherwise in front of me while
never. mostly we use only going back home
• I wish at least our men would learn water after day-long
from the rural teachers in our area tiredness washing
and try to help us, I was thinking clothes in rivers.
that. • While the hyena was
• When farming activities are in chasing the donkey
slack time, they simply spend the and running to the
whole day just sitting. bush with all the
• If girls are in the family, they will clothes
help. • we were left without
any cloth.
Zeyneba • No one helped me wash clothes in • We wash clothes in • Many women face • Eager to see the sort of
Amin my lifetime. rivers, ponds during various challenges technology that you
• When I give births and stay on rainy seasons or in depending on mentioned seems
maternal home rest, my mother or canal water meant for chances. somehow ease our
sisters come from far to help me. irrigation purposes. • Fatigue, strong sun challenges.
• otherwise, the dirty clothes stay • Whenever I get the heat, rape, sudden • A wooden Centrifugal
unwashed until I recover. chance to go to menstruation while at hand washer and
• My husband never does the market, I buy bar soap the river which may washing dollies Peggy-
laundry washing and powder soap cause evil spirits? legs is preferred.
(Omo), otherwise, I • For example, when I
wash using water only. was 4 months
• Sometimes we use pregnant, I fell in the
volcanic ash (white river and suffered a
soil) to wash heavy lot during the
clothes like blankets. remaining pregnancy
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• Because the money is period before I gave
in the pockets of men, birth
otherwise powder soap
omo is very effective
and also saves time
and energy.
Lelisa • He was washing clothes himself First, I do wash deeply • Not much challenges • Happy to exercise any
Eshetu during the interview and he said with water then I use for men, but too tool that would help
that don’t be misled by looking at Omo (powder soap) just difficult for women. reduce our challenges.
me that I am washing clothes now. once to clean. • I know a man whose • Corrugated washing
• My wife gave birth and she is in wife was rapped and board and washing
bed. No one to help us in addition in revenge he killed dollies Peggy-legs
the river is very far so no option the rapist and finally preferred
for me except taking the fled the area.
responsibility.
• What would be the problem if man
washes clothes? No problem but it
is just a culture that we grew up
and accepted as natural that cloth
washing is for women. It is
considered as taboo for men to do
that job. Male teachers in our area
do the washing but not our
farmers. Would be better if men
do it for the difficult road and
challenges, but you don’t find one
in a hundred
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The information contained in the above table is a result of a survey in villages where the water
source for washing and other domestic purposes is from the river. In addition to the difficulties
of laundry washing itself, traveling long treks a day forth and back is a major risk for rural
laundry. The relative advantage of rural villages with access to clean water in close ranges is
that they do not travel distances to water sources. This significantly reduces the time wasted,
hardships and risks of rural laundry that could occur on their way. Nonetheless, the
responsibility, techniques, materials, and other challenges during laundry washing remain the
same. Discussion with women from a nearby rural town of Doni indicates that washing clothes
of a household still remains the responsibility of women. They collect water from water points
using jerry cans, soak and wash their clothes into water contained by plastic washbasins
bending down for several hours and dry clothes on stretched laundry ropes. Washing is carried
out manually which is laborious taking much time and energy.
A woman washing her
laundry in the river, soaking
clothes in the flowing water,
and washing is done on a
plastic bag as seen in the
picture.
Women accompanied by
children doing laundry by
the river; sometimes prone
to flash floods.
A woman washing clothes in
the river on stone.
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A rural scene on an
irrigation canal where a girl
washes clothes on an
irrigation structure. Cattle
drinking and dropping their
dung on the upstream side.
Aman washing clothes (a
rare case in the study area)
smack clothes against large
river stone
Traditional detergents
were used in the past for
cleaning: endod plant (left)
and animal fat (right); now
almost replaced by
industrial soaps.
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3.2 Washerwomen
Washerwomen are not common in rural Ethiopia and didn’t meet one in the above survey area.
However, it is common to find them in urban areas where they make their living from income
by washing clothes for others.
Yayesh Belayneh leaves in Addis Ababa, Lemi Kura Subcity and she is making her living as well
as sending her only child to school from the income she earns washing clothes for other people.
Depending upon situations, she could earn from 300 birr up to 4500 birr a month. She carries
out the laundry washing by manual labor. Plastic washbasins are used for soaking and washing
while stretched ropes are used for drying purposes. She buys water and soap herself. She
prefers to use Omo (powder soap) a detergent since it is relatively effective compared to bar
soap but also uses bar soap because of its relative availability. Here, people may have electrical
washing machines but do not usually use them. This is a good opportunity for her that she can
get jobs continuously but at the same time, it is so tiresome for her. She would like to have one
(tool) that can help her minimize efforts and increase productivity.
Sifan leaves in Dukem town some 35km SE of Addis Ababa. She says “I am making my living
from income I earn washing clothes for people. It is a good job but most people do undermine
it. For me, it is a means of existence and I have been nearly for six years on the job raising my
two children. I do the laundry wash by manual labor bowing down for several hours a day
washing on washbasins. Bar soap or Omo is used as detergent the price of which is soaring from
time to time. The local authorities tell us to get organized in associations but do not give us any
support.
3.3 The Salient Points of Discussion Results
All discussants have similar thoughts on laundry washing regarding the responsibility, methods,
challenges and opportunities that can be summarized as follows:
Responsibility: laundry washing is highly gendered and is the responsibility of women in a
household. If young girls are present in a family, they may responsibilities to some extent. Little
educated men may understand the challenges that the women have and may sometimes help
them but this is very rare in rural areas. The responsibility of women is twofold due to the fact
that while they carry out all the domestic chores by themselves, they also equally share the
responsibility of farm activities.
Techniques and materials: most of the washing in the rural survey area is done in rivers by
scrubbing against river stones. The rural women just grab their clothes, carry them, and travel
significant distances to the river where they may spend (up to 4 hrs) washing the clothes. They
soak the laundry into river channels, wash on stones and dry them on rocks, trees, or just on
the ground. Traditionally local materials such as Endod plant, animal fat, and ash were used as
detergents but nowadays almost replaced by industrial detergents. In the survey area, bar soap,
powder soap (Omo), or liquid soap are being used subject to availability. In rare cases, they may
still use ash (volcanic ash or white soil) to wash heavy clothes such as blankets as the price of
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industrial detergents is increasing from time to time. They have no regular schedule as such for
laundry washing and varies from household to household.
Challenges: washing clothes at home or in rivers is done by hand taking a lot of time and
energy. They need to bend or bow during the process for long hours which finally may cause
back pains, fatigue, and related health problems. This gives more hardship to pregnant women.
If they are washing in rivers they may fall from stones and get injured, e.g., the case of Alemitu
whose story was told by Yeshiwork. Long treks up and down from and to the water sources
(river) along stony footpaths expose the women to more hardships and dangers. Rapes and
attacks from wild animals are common phenomena in the survey area.
Opportunities: electrical laundry machines are unlikely with the current availability of
infrastructures in rural Ethiopia. The availability of or access to pipe water and electric power is
very limited or nonexistent at all. Even in urban areas where the availability of such
infrastructures is relatively better, people are more intending to use manual labor for laundry
washing. Therefore, simple tools operated by human labor are more appropriate in rural
laundry. Women in the survey area are enthusiastic to exercise any tool or technology that
would ease the burdens they shoulder during laundry work. They understood that it can reduce
efforts and pains at the same time increase productivity.
Most of the women
with whom the
interview was
conducted showed
their interest and
preference for the
wooden centrifugal
hand-washer, while
some of them
preferred the corrugated washing board. But all require practical demonstration in order to
know which one is more effective in terms of saving efforts, time, detergents and water.
The experience from Uganda (solar soaker) also seems
very appropriate in minimizing the difficulties that
women and girls are facing in rural areas. The Solar
Soaker (pic below) is a laundry tool that is being tested
and promoted in Uganda. It is found to be an effective
cleaning tool saving water, detergent and time. The
mechanical involvement of humans is very minimum
instead sun heat plays a major role in doing the
laundry. The simplicity and portability of the tool also
make it indispensable for easy promotion and
dissemination. Particularly, it is a golden opportunity for washerwomen to develop their
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businesses easily. One of the limitations of this technology is that it is sun-dependent that when
there is no sun it may not serve the purpose as required.
3.4 Short stories
Doing laundry in rural Africa or Asia is hard work, taking many women almost ten to fifteen
hours in the week. It is also not without danger, as these four stories from Ethiopia shows. We
interviewed fifteen women and in this small sample, many had a traumatic story to tell.
Zeyneba lives in Sire Woreda. She is the only one responsible for
washing all family clothes. In her village, there is no water
reservoir. She collects all her family laundry and then goes to the
Ourso River once every three-four days. This is a three hours
journey on foot. One day – two years ago – she was looking for a
friend to go together to do the washing, but there was no one to
be found. She started the long walk, carrying the clothes on her
back. She reached the river and washed all the clothes. She then started to go back home,
carrying the entire load. . However she got very tired and on the way slipped and fell on a rock.
In this instance, she got badly injured, whilst four months pregnant. She had high blood
pressure and was in severe pain. Now, she is afraid to get pregnant again.
She is Nureti. She takes care of her baby sister. When
her sister was just born, she had to look after her
every day and cook for her. The clothes were soiled
and had blood on them. They had to be urgently
washed. She had no choice but to ask a fifteen year old
young girl from the neighborhood to go to the river
and wash her clothes. Six hours later, the girl was not
yet back and everyone was worried. They then heard
the bad news: the girl was molested by two bandits. The young girl left school and moved to
another area. She does not know where the girl lives now.
She is Shuga, mother of two. Like all
other women, she collects the family
laundry and does the washing every
three or four days. This takes up most of
her day. One day she went to the river
on her own, having loaded all the
clothes on her donkey. She reached the
river, did all the laundry, and then
journeyed back home. On the way, she
had an unexpected and fearful encounter. In the middle of the forest, the road was blocked by
a hyena. She shouted but was all alone. Then the hyena chased the donkey, killed it, and ate it.
That day Shuga lost all her clothes and the donkey. She never forgot that day.
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Yeshiwork tells the story of her childhood friend
Alemitu. One day they went to the river to wash
clothes. Whilst doing that, Alemitu slipped and was
badly injured. She was unable to walk after this and
in the end, had to get an artificial leg.
4. Conclusion and Recommendation
Laundry washing in rural Ethiopia is still too traditional that is done by hand washing. Washing
in urban areas is also not different from rural areas except for very few classes of the society
that use electrical laundry machines. Even people having laundry machines are inclined to use
paid washerwomen that do the laundry in a traditional way.
Doing laundry is highly gendered in Ethiopia and is the responsibility of women similar to many
countries in Africa and Asia. This was confirmed during the sample interviews and discussions
we had with over 15 rural and urban women during the survey. The task is arduous taking up to
4 to 8 hrs a day depending on the availability of water sources subjecting women to hardships
and dangers the stories of which were clearly told during the survey.
According to UNICEF factsheet of Nov 2018, though there has been remarkable progress
towards girls education in Ethiopia only 53 percent complete primary school and 47% of them
who start Grade 1 do not make it to Grade 5. Since domestic chores are the full responsibility of
women, girls are sometimes forced to leave school in order to help their mothers and is one of
the reasons for school dropouts.
In the past traditional detergents such as endod plant, animal fat, and ash were used for
cleaning purposes but these have been nowadays replaced by industrial detergents such as bar
soaps, powder soaps, and liquid soaps. The challenge with industrial soaps is that its availability
and affordability in rural areas as the price is soaring from time to time and sometimes are not
available in close proximity of rural villages.
During the survey, it was understood that all the women who were involved in the discussion
wanted the current challenging scenario needs to be changed. Although difficult to change the
cultural imposition on women that doing laundry is the mere responsibility of women, at least
they have a huge interest to exercise any tool or technology that eases their burden. Most of
them are interested in the wooden centrifugal hand-washer while some of the preferred
corrugated washer board.
The solar soaker being promoted in Uganda also appears to be an indispensable tool combined
with the advantages of simplicity, portability and effectiveness for easy promotion and
dissemination. Particularly, it will be a good opportunity for washerwomen to develop their
businesses easily. One of the limitations of this technology is that it is sun-dependent that when
there is no sun it may not serve the purpose as required.
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While the tools can have a positive social impact, a practical demonstration is necessary in
order to know which product is more effective in terms of saving efforts, time, detergents and
water. Therefore a pilot demonstration site needs to be selected, get the local women
organized, test 2 or 3 products and promote one whichever is accepted most.
WaSH is a global initiative with huge resources from international development partners and
donors focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene. Though sanitation and hygiene are at the
center of the program, it usually deals with toilet facilities and hand washing. Laundry as an
integral part of sanitation and hygiene is mostly unnoticed and much attention is not due given.
Therefore it is recommended to integrate rural laundry in WaSH programs by working closely
with WaSH institutions, particularly the Woreda water office.
In order to address the availability and affordability issues of cleaning detergents, particularly in
rural areas, assessing the opportunities how to link manufacturers of detergents with rural
laundry will be a good option.
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