Many women and children walk more than one kilometre every day to fetch water; a physically demanding activity that has negative effects on physical health. The educational development of young children, who are often tasked with water collection on a daily basis, is also compromised by this time-consuming responsibility which keeps them from attending school. Hippo Water Rollers are the innovative response, designed by South Africans for lessoning the burden of carrying water.
The Hippo Water Roller was created in response to the needs of millions of people living in smallholder communities in developing countries where water infrastructure is either unreliable or totally non-existent.
First created in 1991 and piloted in South Africa, it has since been implemented in more than 20 other countries. It offers an immediate solution to the relentless struggle to collect enough water for daily activities, consumption and sustenance farming and results in improvements to health and living standards. According to the United Nations, this affects approximately 1 billion people who are without adequate access to water.
These robust and durable water barrels each hold 24 gallons (91 litres) of water, and are designed for easy use by women, children and elderly community members. They can be pushed or pulled for long distances over rough rural terrain, which eases the time and physical burden on the individuals collecting household water. The lid has a tight seal which keeps the stored water free of contaminants. The durability of the Hippo Roller (5-7 years) reduces plastic waste, eliminating the need for multiple buckets with short shelf lives, and the quality of the plastic leads to the roller being transformed for other household uses once its life as a hippo roller has expired.
On the 11th of February 2023, a team of Wild Impact and andBeyond staff in South Africa took part in the 50th Edition of the Midmar Mile Swim (1.6km) to raise funds for Hippo Water Rollers. The Midmar Mile is known as the largest open water swim and has been raising funds for charitable causes since 2016. Each swimmer had to raise a minimum of ZAR 2,035.00 to cover the full cost of a roller. The Hippo Water Rollers help enable access to clean water for rural communities who have to walk long distances to collect water and make multiple water collection trips taking up hours of their day.
Thanks to the remarkable support of donors, stakeholders and trade partners, the campaign exceeded all expectations by raising over ZAR 300,000.00 which translates to 168 Hippo Water Rollers. These rollers will be distributed across 3 countries where andBeyond and Wild Impact have a footprint, which are Botswana (Okavango Delta region), South Africa (Sabi Sand region) and Tanzania (Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti region).
Thank you to everyone who participated in the swim and to all the partners and donors who made this possible. Through collaborative initiatives we can have greater impact!
Wild Impact is a Public Benefit Organisation registered in South Africa. Reg. No.: 930002115