Project H is happy to report that thanks to your generosity throughout the H is for Hippo campaign, we have delivered our batch of Hippo Rollers to Kgautswane, South Africa! The handover and community visit came together perfectly thanks to Grant Gibbs, the man behind the Hippo Roller, Clara Masinga, Kgautswane’s community leader, and all the amazing people I met in Kgautswane, who were so grateful, warm, and inspiring.

Here’s the full report- and read on for all the pictures that tell this story so much better than I ever could….

I arrived in Johannesburg on March 24th, greeted by Grant Gibbs, and welcomed into his family’s home just outside the city. After visiting the manufacturer and learning about the rotational molding and material processes behind the rollers’ production (which was fascinating!), we loaded up the trailer and headed out to Kgautswane, a rural community of upwards of 130,000, 5 hours drive from Johannesburg in the overwhelmingly picturesque Mpumalanga area of northeastern South Africa.

On March 26th, we handed over the rollers to households selected by Clara Masinga, Kgautswane’s community leader- an amazing woman who really has been a voice and an inspiration to the whole community. On a side note, I gave Clara one of Project H’s “designcanchangetheworld” t-shirts, which she wore from sunrise to sunset on Thursday.

I spent the following 2 days with Grant and Clara, interviewing community members about the Hippo Roller (thousands of which are currently in use throughout Kgautswane), particularly regarding the way it enables families and quite simply, makes life easier. As we drove down the dusty roads around dusk, children rolled their Hippo Rollers home, and waved and smiled every time we passed.

In the grand scheme of things, our small quantity of donated rollers probably made only a small mark, but I like to think Project H (and design in general) is all about providing tools to enable lives, and creating an impact beyond the immediate function. I would hope that the rollers aren’t just about transporting water, but that they bring some inspiration to do more.

Stay tuned for the next Fund this Product initiative (Lifestraws for Mumbai!) and updates on the Project H: Design for Education summer studio at the California College of Arts.

Hit “read more” for additional photos….

Rotational molding factory

Rollers stacked at the manufacturer

Loading up the truck at the manufacturer

Traditional methods vs. the Hippo Roller

Watching the rollers go by

Handover ceremony

Emptying the roller

My new best friend

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 6:10 am and is filed under Fund This Product, H is for Hippo, Tales of Great Design, Water, Announcements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.