PROJECT: ‘H is for Hippo’ delivery of Hippo Roller water transport devices
Kgautswane, South Africa
March 24-30, 2008

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.

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.

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

PROJECT: Kutamba AIDS Orphans School- Case Study
Project Launch Date: September 13, 2008

The Kutamba AIDS orphans school provides a free primary education (grades 1-3, soon to be grades 1-7) to children who have lost both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. The school is located in a temporary structure and will move into a newly constructed, 3-building facility later this year (the school is currently being designed and constructed by Architecture for Humanity design fellow Matthew Miller).

Beginning this September, Project H will be designing an educational toy for math education at the Kutamba school. The system will be designed to be made on site, with the potential to develop a retail version for US markets based on the same concept. A Project H design fellow will work with other designers, design firms, and Kutamba to design and prototype the toy, which we will test and implement in 2009.

STUDIO SESSION: Project H: Design for Education at the California College of Arts
San Francisco
June 2- August 2, 2008
Instructor: Emily Pilloton

Industrial design has traditionally been seen as a profession that creates everyday consumer objects. This course provides the unique opportunity to learn about industrial design while working on a real-life project that exemplifies how industrial design can be used to change the world. Based on two school case studies—a local Northern California public school district and a school for HIV/AIDS orphans in Southern Uganda, this course applies industrial design as a tool to address social issues and improve lives.

Project H: Design for Education is a studio-based collaboration between students, designers, educators, and elementary school children to design a globally-applicable educational product. Through individual, team, and class projects, students will research and frame a design problem in an elementary educational context, conceptualize potential solutions, review each others’ work, present ideas to guests and the public, and solidify a concept as a produceable and marketable product for the case study and wider-scale implementation.

Over the course of the project and beyond, students may have the opportunity to consult with actual manufacturers and retailers to explore the potential production and distribution of viable design solutions. Project H Design, as an organization, champions product design initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health, and Happiness, and will provide the umbrella for discussions and juried reviews with local product designers, teachers, children, and manufacturers. Design can change the world, and the Project H: Design for Education studio will work with that mantra in mind.

Check out the full course description on the CCA site here, and get information on how to register through CCA here.