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Luke Vorsterman and Linda Ryan demonstrate the Hippo Roller water transporter. PHOTO SUBMITTED
A new breed of hippos are being launched on the Sunshine Coast through the efforts of Gibson residents Luke Vorstermans and Linda Ryan.
The Hippo is a much smarter way to collect and move water. And for millions of African women who spend up to six hours a day on this domestic chore, it’s a life changing tool.
“When people first see the Hippo Roller the first question is always, ‘Why hasn’t someone thought of this before?’” said Ryan. “It is an astonishingly simple tool”
The Hippo Roller’s inn vative design allows water to be moved more easily and efficiently by placing the water inside its ‘wheel.’ A full Hippo Roller holds 90 kg of water – five times the amount possible using traditional methods. But because the weight is on the ground, it has an effective weight of just 10 kg allowing children to easily manage a full roller over most types of terrain. Ryan says that a single hippo carries enough water to meet the basic needs of five people per day. It also gives them access to better hygiene and living conditions.
“A hippo can save a woman upwards of 20 hours of work per week, so imagine what a group of women could collectively do with that time. Or a nation of women?” says Vorstermans. “This simple design can change the world.”
Recently Vorstermans, Ryan and a group of friends launched a crowdfund- ing venture (www.dana.io/ roll-a-hippo) with the aim of placing 1,000 hippos
in African communities – empowering 1,000 women in the process. They have also launched a website (www.rollahippo. org), a social media campaign and they will be rolling a hippo around the Coast over the summer months to help with fundraising.
To learn more and donate to the campaign, visit www. rollahippo.org
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