PROJECTS


The Hippo Water Roller Project

Poor communities are the ones worst affected by inadequate access to water and are most in need of Hippo Water Rollers. Thanks to the support of donors, Hippos are donated free of charge to the people who need them most. We work in partnership with nonprofits and community groups to organize the distribution and keep project costs to a minimum. Education is an integral component of the Hippo Water Roller Project. New Hippo owners receive information about how best to purify their water and use companion products such as drip irrigation systems to grow food gardens.

Two men bring water back to Kgautswane.

Kgautswane, South Africa, is a good example of the type of community we work with. Located in rural Mpumalanga province, Kgautswane's 120,000 residents depend on a small number of wells to provide them with water. However, these wells only provide water once or twice a week. This is not enough, so residents must walk long distances to other water points. On a good day, people spend 3 hours per day collecting water. But on days when the water isn't flowing, streams and lakes become the primary source of water. This means that people spend as many as 7 hours a day fetching water.

Distribution of Hippo Rollers in Kgautswane is the responsibility of Clara Masinga, a respected community leader and longtime Hippo supporter. She makes sure that those who need Hippos most, such as the elderly, child-headed households, and people suffering from AIDs, are first to receive them.

Many more people in developing countries all around the world are in need of a Hippo Water Roller. Our goal is to bring them to as many as we can. But we need your help!

Hippo 2.0 Re-Design

The current Hippo Water Roller very effectively transports water, but its large size makes it expensive to distribute very far away from where it is manufactured. Thanks to help from D2M, Engineers Without Borders and Project H Design, we're exploring ways of making the Hippo even better. Stay tuned!

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