The establishment of a specialised hospital laundry facility in Senegal Note: This project has been cancelled, because RVO has no confidence that it will be successfully completed in the short term.The goal of the project is to build and exploit a cleaning company, close to Dakar, the capital of Senegal, specialised in washing/disinfecting medical linen and clothing. Customers, who have pronounced themselves in letters of intent, are hospitals and private clinics in the Dakar region. At the moment linen and clothes contaminated with blood and excrements are washed under basic conditions leading to contamination of washing personnel, medical personnel who have to work with not completely disinfected linen and clothes and last but not least the patients in the hospital itself who are already ill and therefore more vulnerable to other infections.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The processing of contaminated linen can potentially be dangerous for the employees if the health and safety regulations as set by the management are not adhered to by the staff. This could affect staff, but also influence the overall performance of the company in the long run. Therefore emphasis will be put on training and daily supervision. Routine drills and control are needed to prevent potential accidents and infections. All the employees will be insured by the company. Since water is a scarce resource, it will be treated and re-used in order to reduce waste as much as possible. Waste water will be treated. ISO 90001 certification will be strived for by the project partners.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThere will be 96 permanent jobs created of which 8 are of high- or medium-level. In addition, up to 22 contract workers will be employed for designated periods. More temporary workforce will be hired when needed to cover peak business periods. The joint venture partners are committed to pay a minimum wage that is 144% of the official minimum wage in Senegal.With regard to the working conditions, an entire set of preventive measures will be taken to prevent contamination of the personnel:- Protective tools such as gloves, mouth covers and special clothes to put emphasis on security. Air filtration and air conditioning to provide clean air in the plant facilities and to underline the importance of security.- Regular training sessions to emphasise security procedures. All the employees will be insured by the company as prescribed by Senegalese legislation. They will have individual and collective insurance to ensure medical coverage and social security.- In addition, the employees will receive fringe benefits: their transportation fees will be paid by the company. There will be a canteen open during the day. A monthly school fee (20 euro per child) will also be included.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeBecause of the lack of adequate medical laundry facilities in Senegal, soiled laundry from medical establishments has been treated similarly as ordinary laundry, in spite of its high degree of contamination. This project will introduce new technology and new knowledge in order to handle those contaminated laundry correctly. The project will therefore define an overall framework for its communication, both internal and external including a permanent training programme. The overall objective here is to explain the rationale behind the innovative approach taken by Senalmed with this project.•	Chain effectsThe project will make use of local companies that can provide detergents, transportation services, mechanical maintenance and packaging materials leading to an estimated indirect employment of 25 persons. The project will definitively establish a new set of standards in the laundry services in the entire West African region.•	EnvironmentMost of the waste water used by traditional laundry shops is flowing uncontrollably into the open gutters in streets and backyards. The waste water from the joint venture laundry and cleaning plant will be fully treated before being reused in the form of steam or evacuated into the public sewage system. Residues will be chemically treated and filtered before being released into the sewage system of the Diamniadio industrial complex. It should be added that the entire waste water of the industrial zone of Diamniadio is further treated before being released into the general sewer system.•	Position of womenSenalmed has committed itself to employing 76 women out of the total number of 96 employees. This is 83% of the total workforce. Women will have the same contracts and working conditions as men. To build a laundry facility near Dakar, the capital of Senegal, to clean and disinfect medical linen and clothing serving the majority of hospitals and clinics in the Dakar region.