Anyone who spends much time with children knows that they talk a lot, they fight and bicker a lot, they always want snacks and they move around more or less constantly, especially when they’re having a good time. So why not take all that clean energy kids produce and direct it towards something that helps a community?
That’s what Playpump International does. This nonprofit makes the kind of merry-go-round that you might have seen in U.S. playgrounds a decade or two ago, before personal injury lawyers pretty much put a stop to that. But the Playpump harnesses kid power by using the turning motion to power water pumps where energy is scarce.
According to Gizmag.com, “more than 1,000 such pumps have been installed in schools in South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia, providing easy access to clean drinking water for the local community.”
The device can pump as many as 1,400 liters of water per hour from as deep as 100 meters when the kids are really wailing on the thing.
PlayPumps International describes itself as “a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families by providing access to clean drinking water, enhancing public health, and offering play equipment to millions across Africa.” It has set itself a goal of making clean drinking water available to 10 million people by 2010.
Photo courtesy of Playpump International.