Even though I have a passion for writing about all the the world’s ills, tragedies and injustices, there is one category that especially enjoy because it is focused on the solutions and their creators…..not the problem!

This article is about how one man, a retired advertising executive, invented a very simple device to solve a very complex problem; a problem that was taking the lives of 6,000 people a day and responsible for 80% of all the sickness in the world!

ONE MAN!

Trevor Field, a veteran advertising executive, spun the idea around in his head, of how to turn a simple pump into a more complex water system. He once saw a merry-go-round attached to a water pump and pictured adding a high-capacity water storage tank and four billboard spaces for both advertising and powerful public education messages. 

Excited and highly motivated,Trevor turned this simple pump into an innovative, sustainable, child-friendly answer to one of the region’s most pressing problems, the need for more clean drinking water

THIS VIDEO TELLS THE STORY

The Water Problem  

Access to clean drinking water is critical for human survival and is an essential ingredient for improving the lives of those living in poverty in developing countries.  And yet:

• More than one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water.
• Water-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, taking the lives of 6,000 people a day, and are responsible for 80 percent of all sickness in the world.
• 40 billion hours are lost annually to hauling water, a chore primarily undertaken by women and girls. 

The Solution

The PlayPump systems are innovative, sustainable, patented water pumps powered by children at play.  Installed near schools, the PlayPump system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round for children.

While children have fun spinning on the PlayPump merry-go-round clean water is pumped from underground into a 2,500-liter tank, standing seven meters above the ground while excess water is diverted from the storage tank back down into the borehole. Capable of producing up to 1,400 liters of water per hour at 16 rpm from a depth of 40 meters, it is effective up to a depth of 100 meters. A simple tap makes it easy for adults and children to draw water.

The water storage tank provides a rare opportunity to advertise in outlaying communities.  All four sides of the tank are leased as billboards, with two sides for consumer advertising and the other two sides for health and educational messages. The revenue generated by this unique model pays for pump maintenance.

The design of the PlayPump water system makes it highly effective, easy to operate and very economical, keeping costs and maintenance to an absolute minimum.

Besides the obvious benefit of providing easy to access life-saving water, other benefits flow from the PlayPump® water system as well. Such as:

• Children are playing and staying in school instead of hauling water.
• Women no longer risk injury from transporting heavy containers of water over great distances, and they can use the time saved to better care for their children
• increasing awareness of how to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS through the Public health messages displayed on PlayPump billboards which promote healthy behaviors.  

The Mission

We will carry out our mission by installing 4,000 PlayPump® water systems in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa by 2010, bringing the benefits of clean water to up to 10 million people.

More than 950 PlayPump systems have already been installed in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, and Zambia.

The cost for a fully installed PlayPump water system, which includes the pump, tower and maintenance for 10 years is just US$14,000.

’s mission is help improve the lives of children and their families by providing easy access to clean drinking water, enhancing public health, and offering play equipment to millions across .

Every 15 seconds a child dies from a preventable disease that came from unsafe water .