Hippo Roller

Water--it is not just what we have to worry about in the future with global climate change.  Water is a scarce resource already for millions of people around the world and it is primarily young women who are responsible for hauling the water.  The Hippo Roller allows for the transport of 24 gallons of water at a time (which is what it takes women up to 6 trips to make if they balance a bucket on their head)  with less physical strain, saving hours of time.

The design was arrived at with several considerations--the first is that it needed to be water tight and easy to fill--the lid that was chosen was the largest available, to increase ease of filling and also for cleaning.  The width of the roller had to fit through the doorways of developing country abodes, and then it had to be able to be rolled over very rough terrain--all these considerations led to the 90 liter tank capacity.  The handle is designed for rough treatment and longevity.  The only difficulty with the design is that they do not stack well, so there is wasted space when transporting them.  The rollers have been used for a multitude of storage uses besides water--they will only semi-submerge even when full of water, so they have been filled with all sorts of supplies--food, clothing, medical supplies, and, yes, water--and dropped into disaster areas.  They have been packed with grain to transport to areas in need--so they may not stack well, but you can fill them with something that is useful.

I love seeing low cost innovations that can change people's lives--running water everywhere would do that as well, but this is s solution to use in the meantime.