Lately, there’s been a lot talk about renewable energy—wind, solar and water. Well, I’d like to throw a new kind of energy into the bag—kid energy.
That’s what fuels PlayPump®, an ingenious water system that is both fun and functional—a merry-go-round and a water pump rolled into one.
My colleague Casey March, who reported from Zambia earlier this month, saw this nifty invention at work (and play) during her field visit and was amazed at its simplicity and effectiveness.
 |
| © US Fund for UNICEF/Martin Dixon |
| Children in Swaziland enjoy their PlayPump, a water system that produces up to 370 gallons of clean water per hour. |
As you may know, one of UNICEF’s top priorities is making clean, safe water accessible to all children. And that’s exactly what PlayPump does. While kids play, the spinning motion pumps clean drinking water from underground basins into a storage tank that dispenses water for villagers to enjoy (click here for a graphic explanation).
Created by a South African company, Roundabout Outdoor, PlayPumps produce up to 370 gallons of clean water per hour. These brilliant devices are installed near schools and are usually the only play set in rural villages.
For kids, it’s a source of fun. For families and communities, it’s a blessing. Children no longer run the risk of drinking dirty water and getting deathly ill. Plus, it saves girls (who are often delegated the chore of fetching water) the time they'd spend walking several miles to a clean water source and, hence, miss out on school.
Roundabout Outdoor hopes to have 4,000 PlayPumps across sub-Saharan Africa by 2010. And UNICEF is helping achieve that goal by installing PlayPumps in Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique, where they are helping communities improve their health, education and gender equality.
Interested in being part of the water solution? Go here and learn how you can help.
Comments (1)
That is a funny idea , great for the kids for fun,and play.
1. Did you know that gravity can be used when the kids run out of energy, it's called gravity fed you use gravity from the earth core and then apply water to it's effect this is called logistics. ( Gravity Pump )
2. Did you know that you can use heat from the sun and gravity to produce a heat water pump.
3. Also, a mule can be leashed to the merry go round to pull it around.
Russell " Dean" Lynch
Volunteer, Member
Posted by Russell " Dean" Lynch | September 4, 2008 9:52 PM
Posted on September 4, 2008 21:52