Hippo Roller: Saving Lives

            When thinking about our day to day chores most of us have pretty easy lives. Having simple necessities such as heat, water and housing, we do not give much thought to these simple things in our lives. Unlike our nurtured lives there are some who don’t have these privileges. In Africa most of the country is living in extreme poverty. In this culture simple things such as water are extremely important in people’s daily lives. While the men do their work and provide for the village, the women have their chores as well. One of the crucial chores the women of the community have is to fetch water. For hundreds of years women would walk through dangerous areas to fetch water. After retrieving water from a filthy river, they would then have to walk back carrying a heavy amount of water. Only carrying a small, but heavy amount of water in a jar on their head, the women go through an exhausting and arduous journey back home. Since the women can only carry small amounts of water on their heads they have to do numerous trips go get a sufficient amount of water for the village. This process is extremely insufficient and harsh on the women who spend a large part of their day trying to get water for their family.

            The designers at Project H Design have studied this culture and have created a contraption that makes the women’s lives significantly easier. After redesigning the process of gathering and transporting water, the firm has positively changed the lives in 17 villages. The Hippo Roller is a large industrial size jug with a roller and metal rod attached for pulling it. Before women would carry a five gallon jug on their head to carry water, but with the Hippo Roller women can pull a twenty gallon jug back to their village. With the simple metal frame used for pulling or pushing, women spend less effort transporting water without putting strain on their body. The Hippo Roller is funded by donations of $100 for production and shipping. Project H design has provided more than 75 rollers in seventeen different areas of Africa. By donation money to the firm, more people in villages will be able to live an easier lifestyle with the help of the Hippo Roller.