Clean water can change everything!
As a small business, we wanted to make the most significant impact we could. Over 5 million people are without clean drinking water in South Africa and Lesotho. All too often, children are given the family task of walking for miles every day to collect water. With the dangers of water-borne disease and the time wasted it takes to collect the water children, and their communities are having their future disappear.
Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. 43% of those deaths are children under 5yrs.
Access to clean water keeps kids in school, especially girls. Girls are particularly at risk and can lose up to a week every month from their education.
Over 40 billion hours get wasted every year collecting water. Access to clean water leaves more time to fight poverty by going to school, growing food, and earning an income
Women and girls bear the burden of water collection. When there is clean water, girls can go to school, and women can start businesses and grow their future and community.
Enhance and empower rural communities in Southern Africa by providing warmth and water
Playpumps is a pumping solution that is powered by the play of children. In South Africa, there are hundreds of schools without a reliable source of clean drinking water. The Playpump is often the only piece of playground equipment at a school and provides the children with a constructive and rewarding way to use their energy. Improved health by a reduction in water-borne diseases. We have partnered with roundabout water solutions to ensure the maintenance and upkeep of the water pumps.
In 2006 the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) announced a $60m public-private partnership with Playpumps.
With personal endorsements from George and Laura Bush, Jay-Z, who raised $250,000, and Mark Ronson pledged $1 per album sale to the charity. By the end of 2008, 1000 Play Pumpswere installed.
However, by 2010, the project was abandoned due to a lack of funds and no plan in place for ongoing maintenance, the pumps were left to fall into disrepair, and most stopped working. That is where we come in.
Clean water can change everything!
With most of the infrastructure already in place, it seems a huge waste to let the borehole pumps die. We see an opportunity to repair and maintain the pumps already there by using local, trained teams and technicians, creating jobs, and most importantly, a clean water supply is being returned to vulnerable communities and schools.
Clean water can change everything!