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  Frimmel Smith
Kids Play,
Water Pumps A Sustained Investment Everyone agrees that providing free, clean drinking water to African schoolchildren is a great idea -- particularly if they can have fun while collecting it. But for the International Finance Corporation, the key selling point of the PlayPumpTM water system is the simple but ingenious technology and the business model that supports it. When broken pumps aren't repaired, communities are forced to return to unsafe water sources. The PlayPump system's advertising revenue offers privately funded maintenance without user fees.
Women and girls walking long distances in search of water for their families is a common sight across Africa. They spend hours collecting water from contaminated sources or laboring over hand pumps. That time could be much better spent on economic activities or in school -- both of which are vitally necessary for Africa's development.
The PlayPump system makes water collection simple by providing an easy-to-use, sustainable source of water. The technology operates much like a windmill on its side; as children spin on the merry-go-round, clean water pumps into a storage tank -- a unique feature that other pump technologies don't have. The PlayPump system can generate up to 370 gallons of water per hour, producing a larger volume of water than other manual pumps with considerably less effort.
Four billboards surround the PlayPump storage tank, providing a rare private-sector advertising opportunity. Two sides carry consumer product messages, and the other two carry public service messages. The revenue generated from the advertising pays for the pumps' maintenance and ensures each installation's sustainability.
For many donors, including the IFC, maintaining village-level water interventions is a major concern. By some estimates, 35 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa's improved water sources are out of service at any given time, mainly due to hand pump breakdowns. When broken pumps aren't repaired, communities are forced to return to unsafe water sources. The PlayPump system's creative use of advertising revenue offers the promise of privately funded maintenance without user fees.
The PlayPump system provides a way for governments, the private sector, and institutions like IFC to play to each of their strengths and work together to tackle one of Africa's most pressing challenges. We at the IFC believe in the strength of this revenue-generation model, and our partnership with PlayPumps International and the Case Foundation will provide the technical assistance needed to bring the pumps to millions of people across Africa.
Read more about the IFC-PlayPumps International partnership (PDF).
Geoff Hopkins is an operations analyst for the International Finance Corporation in Johannesburg, South Africa. |
The Case Foundation, 2008. All Rights Reserved.
