Water-pumping Merry-Go-Round Attracts Attention of Global Leaders
Over the next three years, the U.S. government and other partners are to invest $16.4 million in PlayPump clean water systems throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Powered by play, the PlayPump water system is a children's merry-go-round attached to a water pump. This design operates like a windmill turned on its side: As children play and the merry-go-round turns, the water is pumped into an aboveground storage tank and later accessed by means of a tap. In addition to providing safe drinking water to schools and communities, the product uses advertising billboards located on the storage tank to deliver educational messages to children and families. The advertising revenue helps ensure a decade of system maintenance.