On the 21st of November Wildlands Conservation Trust handed over 17 of 67 Hippo Water Rollers donated by Nedbank, to a group of very happy community members in Tembe, Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal. This forms part of Wildlands’ “Trees for Life” project which sees community members growing indigenous trees and bartering them with Wildlands (who use the trees to restore environmentally degraded areas) for livelihood support items such as groceries, bicycles, Jojo tanks, building materials and recently, Hippo Water Rollers.
The Hippo Roller carries 90 litres of water inside a rolling wheel and the weight of the water is borne on the ground. The water is transported by holding on to the handle with which the drum is pushed or pulled. This requires far less effort from people than carrying the traditional 20 litre buckets or containers on their heads. The Hippo Water Roller project seeks to help reduce the global burden of limited access to water, affecting more than a billion people. The project aims to reduce the number of people without adequate access to water by 1%, which is around 10 million people in real terms. 42000 sponsored Hippo Rollers have been distributed to date with around 300 000 direct beneficiaries (based on an average of 7 members per household). (Reference – www.hipporoller.org)
The Hippo Rollers handed over in Tembe this week were sponsored by Nedbank and form part of the bank’s water stewardship commitment. After becoming South Africa and Africa’s first carbon neutral financial organization in 2010, the Nedbank Group is now also championing the responsible usage and critical conservation of another vital resource – water. The donation of these 67 Hippo Water Rollers formed part of their annual Nelson Mandela Day contribution to taking action to change the world for the better.
“As the Hippo Water Roller project strives to supply the millions of South African women and children who struggle daily for water, we are very encouraged through our partnerships with concerned and responsible organizations such as Nedbank and Wildlands,” said Grant Gibbs (founder and owner of the Hippo Roller operation). “The inclusion of branding, their corporate colours and the ongoing publicity, demonstrates the positive return on investment for sponsors while simultaneously achieving a significant social impact in the communities.”
The Nedbank Foundation has provided a total of R4.6 million in funding for the distribution of thousands of 90 litre Hippo Water Rollers in rural communities across the country since 2010.
“Nedbank appreciates both the opportunity and responsibility it has to positively impact on the water resources of the country,” said Brigitte Burnett (Head of Sustainability for Nedbank Group) “And by doing so, not only are we proving that financial institutions have a vital role to play in shaping the worlds water future, but we are also encouraging and enabling others to join us,” said Burnett.
“We are so grateful for donors like Nedbank who not only have a green conscience in the way they conduct business, but are also passionate about changing the lives of those less fortunate for the better,” commented Wildlands’ Director, Louise Duys.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)