Bio
Navjot Sawhney is the founder of The Washing Machine Project. Born and raised in London to parents from unpartitioned India, his family’s experience of displacement and his upbringing by his mother and two sisters shaped his passion for international development and issues affecting women and refugees.
After studying Aerospace Engineering at Queen Mary University, Nav worked as an engineer at Dyson before joining Engineers Without Borders UK in South India, designing cookstoves. There, he met Divya, a neighbour who spent up to 20 hours a week handwashing clothes. Determined to help, Nav promised her a washing machine, an idea that led him to develop the fi rst prototype and found The Washing Machine Project in 2019 while pursuing a master’s in Humanitarianism, Confl ict and Development at University of Bath.
Since then, The Washing Machine Project distributed Divya washing machines to communities in India, Iraq, Mexico, Republic of Congo, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda impacting 34,000 people. Working with partners like Whirlpool Foundation, RS Group, JLR and UNHCR, the project continues to scale globally.
In March 2024, Nav returned to South India with Whirlpool Foundation to fulfi l his promise to Divya, delivering machines to her and 10 neighbours. His work has earned numerous awards, including the George H W Bush Points of Light Award in 2023.