Help Bring Water Roller to India

Last week we told you about the Hippo water roller, an ingenious "wheel" designed by south African engineers, Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker. Intended to lighten the load for women and children especially who have traditionally had to transport large, heavy water buckets on their heads, the Hippo rolls on the ground, transforming 200 pounds of water into a much more manageable 22 pounds, which can still meet the water needs of five people a day.

Hippo Water International urgently needs your vote for a much-needed scouting trip to India with the ultimate goal of bringing the Hippo there. The organization is among the top five contenders in a contest hosted by JustMeans, offering an India Social Entrepreneurship Journey with Journeys for Change. It's not too late for you to play a role in helping Hippo to win. The deadline to cast your vote here has been extended through Oct. 31st, at 11:45 a.m. (GMT).

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's marveled at the site of African women and children carrying water buckets on their heads; not just the weight that's being managed but the pure physics of this balancing act. Admittedly, I never thought much beyond the image in front of me to wonder if there may be an easier way – after all, it was tradition. Shallow thinking perhaps, but we don't often witness the actual kilometers being walked every day, the hours being lost, the spines bending, the loss of education and work opportunities for the women and more often than not, children, who handle its weight.

But the Hippo has the potential to completely alter an African's life. Screw tradition!

In the context of the Millenium Development Goals, as well as a range of possibilities opened up due to branding, sponsorship and Google's Project, 10^100, the Hippo has recently been taken into a new realm.

Cynthia Koenig is the founder of Hippo Water International. She's working to see the barrels with new designs distributed to other countries around the world. With the help of Engineers Without Borders, Project H Design and D2M, newer Hippos have been designed for more efficient shipping, a lower price and the ability to filter water. HWI also educates communities in water purification, rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation and personal hygiene along with supplying the Hippos.

Photo courtesy Project H Design via Flickr.