Navjot Sawhney is the founder of The Washing Machine Project, a global initiative providing manual washing machines to communities in need. Inspired by his upbringing in London and time in South India with Engineers Without Borders, Nav launched the project in 2019 after meeting Divya, a woman who spent 20 hours a week handwashing clothes. Since then, the project has impacted over 46,000 people across 10 countries, in partnership with organisations like Whirlpool Foundation, UNHCR, and RS Group. Nav studied Aerospace Engineering and holds a master’s in Humanitarianism, Conflict and Development. In 2024, he returned to India to fulfil his promise to Divya — and continues scaling the project worldwide.