Hippo Water Roller Project Makes Water Accessible in South Africa

Those of us fortunate enough to live in developed western countries take access to fresh clean water for granted. For us, drinking, cooking and bathing water is as easy as turning a handle, but for those in Africa, accessing water is a time consuming and painful chore. Many people in Africa, mainly women, must walk many miles and carry up to five gallons of water in a jar or bucket on their head. For women with large families, multiple trips will need to be made in order to secure enough water. The weight of the water can cause skeletal deformities and the long walk requires valuable energy in a land where food is often scarce. The people behind the Hippo Water Roller Project hope that a new invention will make larger amounts of water available without the hard physical labor that has been the norm in Africa.

The Hippo Water Roller is a large polyethylene drum that can hold as many as 20 gallons of water. The weight of the water, up to 200 pounds, is transferred to the ground as the drum is guided by the clip on steel handle. The effective weight of a full Hippo Water Roller is just 22 pounds, making the heavy task of water gathering easier. Because families are able to obtain to four times the water in one trip, sanitation is improved. The increased availability of water also affects the crops and animals. The Hippo Water Roller can easily be configured as a drip irrigation system. Food yields are higher because crops are able to be watered regularly, easing some of the hunger and malnutrition that plagues Africa.

Women and children who are forced to carry water in traditional jars on their heads suffer from thinning vertebral discs and pain. Children as young as nine are forced to carry water, causing problems with skeletal and muscular development.

Because the areas that can most benefit from the Hippo Water Roller are mired in poverty, the Hippo Water Roller is out of the financial reach of most families. The Hippo Water Roller Project solicits donations from corporations and governments to provide the Water Rollers to those who need it most. When Hippo Water Rollers are introduced into a community, other programs are often initiated because access to water is no longer limited.

Citibank, Coca-Cola, 3M, Unilever, Kellogs, and First National bank have all been major contributors to the project.