Water is life. No human can survive without it. Yet many people in rural areas still lack the infrastructure to directly obtain water. Instead, they are forced to travel far to rivers or communal taps to fill and carry home heavy buckets – a chore that often falls on the shoulders of women and children. The time and energy this dries up in turn hinders entire communities’ social and economic progress. But what if there was another way? Grant Gibbs is leading a project that uses a uniquely South African invention to make life easier for villagers across continents.
Named for its thick plastic shell, large round shape, and association with African waters, the Hippo Roller is a 90-litre drum with a clip-on steel handle which allows it to be pushed on the ground. Simple but effective, the design has revolutionised life for people who previously had to carry water on their heads. Traditional buckets or jerry cans hold just 25 litres of water, necessitating multiple trips to the river and requiring care and patience to ensure balance and prevent spillage. “The time taken negatively impacts some children’s ability to get to school, reducing the quality of education and chances of finding employment afterwards,” Gibbs explains. In contrast, the award-winning Hippo Roller conceptualised by local engineers Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker enables people to focus not only on their personal development, but the progress of their community too. “The ability to collect more water lends itself to growing viable, home-based food gardens for improved food security and income generation,” Gibbs says.
The replacement of makeshift water storage systems is an added environmental bonus. “Buckets or jerry cans don’t last very long and tend to pollute the countryside with plastic waste once they get damaged and broken,” Gibbs explains. “The Hippo Roller is designed for use in tough rural conditions.” Each container is embedded with grains of sand and can withstand being rolled for years. Over the past three decades, a network of NGOs have distributed over 60 000 Hippo Rollers to people across 51 countries, the majority of which have been in Africa. “Just seeing the reaction and impact on rural communities, it’s incredible,” Gibbs says. With this homegrown solution, the quintessentially African image of a bucket teetering on a woman’s head may soon be replaced with a vision of entire communities rolling success into their villages.
Footage by Hippo Roller was used in the creation of this film.
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