The Hippo Water Roller was invented in 1991 by two South Africans; Mr. Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker.
Initially called the “Aqua Roller” the name was changed to “Hippo Water Roller” in 1993 to give it an “African flavour”. The association with water, round body and thick skin compares well to the famous African Hippopotamus.
Apart from some minor changes and improvements by Grant Gibbs of Imvubu Projects, South Africa; the basic design remains unchanged.
The Hippo Water Roller is exclusively manufactured and distributed worldwide by Imvubu Projects, a social enterprise - trading as The Hippo Water Roller Project.
As of December 2011, approximately 38,000 Hippo rollers have been distributed in 17 countries directly benefiting in excess of 250,000 people. 95% of these rollers have been donated or sponsored by corporate businesses as part of their social responsibility programs.
The Hippo Water Roller Project is in the process of appointing local manufacturers in other countries where there is sufficient demand for Hippo rollers to justify the setup cost. It is expected that the savings realised in shipping complete Hippo rollers compared with shipping raw materials will eventually amortise the setup costs. The purpose is to reduce the “landed cost” of the Hippo roller in other countries.
The project seeks to partner with many NGO’s, aid organisations and corporate business to help reduce the global burden of limited access to water, affecting more than a billion people.
You are invited to contact us to explore opportunities for reaching more needy communities with this appropriate technology.
