Mandela’s relatives, rural families get help to collect drinking water 150 Hippo Rollers donated to residents of Qunu and nearby coastal villages The late Nelson Mandela s home in Qunu, in the Eastern Cape. File photo. Image: TEBOGO LETSIE
The long walk to freedom just got a bit shorter in the childhood home village of Nelson Mandela, where some of his relatives have been gifted a device to fetch water more easily.
In his autobiography, Mandela famously described the daily grind of growing up in the rural Eastern Cape village of Qunu. Now Qunu neighbours Evelyn Mandela, 82, and Nothemba Mandela, 71, can use new “Hippo Rollers” to move plastic buckets of water up from the river thanks to a charity infusion into the rural Eastern Cape last week.
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Rollers rock, say Wild Coast residents given water lifeline by swimmers A group of philanthropic swimmers donated water rollers to Wild Coast communities on March 13 2021. Image: Michael Walker
Twenty families on the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape will no longer have to carry buckets of water on their heads.
On Saturday, a group of philanthropic swimmers delivered 20 Hippo Rollers to residents of Tsweleni and Tshani.
Women and children in these communities still collect water in buckets and often walk long distances over rough terrain with their heavy load.
The Hippo Roller carries up to 90 litres and can be pulled or pushed.
Posted:
March 7, 2021
Perceptions, By Gerry Warner
Op-Ed Commentary
Genius comes in many forms and nowhere can this be seen better than in the invention of the “Hippo Roller.”
The Hippo Roller? What the heck is that, you ask? Nothing less than a simple, relatively inexpensive way to make an efficient device that will greatly improve the lives of thousands in South Africa and numerous other impoverished African and Asian countries. In many cases, the Hippo Roller can literally be the difference between life and death in poverty-stricken Third World countries. So, what is this miracle device? Probably the best example of “low tech and high return” you’ve ever heard of and you can even get involved with this life-saving mission right here in Cranbrook.