When she was 14 years old, Remya Jose's life was turned upside down by a family crisis （危机）.
Remya, who lived in a small village in India, learned that her mother was ill and her father would have to spend his time caring for her. As a result, the Jose family couldn't afford an electric washing machine. Instead, the two girls would have to do the washing all by hand in the local river
Being a good student interested in engineering, Remya wanted to make a washing machine which could be used without electricity. She started studying electric washers to learn how they worked. Remya then designed（设计） a machine that used bicycle pedals（踏板）, she and her father went to a local auto shop. Workers there not only gave her the parts, they helped her make the machine!
Here's how the machine works：Remya used a cylinder （圆筒） to hold the clothes and put it in a cube （立方体）. Next, the cylinder cleaned the clothes just like a regular washing machine.
Remya's invention worked! She had created her own human﹣powered washing machine ﹣﹣ and now a task that used to take several hours took only 30 minutes. Remya's washing machine was chosen from among 25, 000 entries as India's best innovation! She was given India's National Award and honored by the nation's former president.
The story of this young woman's creative invention spread around the world.
"Remya Jose made a difference," said Jeanine Thomas of The Borden Project, "Her invention saves time and money for the world's poor. Her story shows that with creativity
