Wello: Inventing the WaterWheel
Over a billion people live without direct access to water. The only way to get it is to travel long distances and carry it back. This can be a very physically-draining exercise. Not to mention the time it takes for this. Wello is looking to change this. Founded by Cynthia Koenig, this organization came up with an innovative way to get water home: the wheel. More specifically, the WaterWheel. This displaces the weight, allows one person to handle 5 times more water, and serves more people. From Wello's site:
By giving people easier access to potable water, the WaterWheel frees up valuable time, and in the process, removes barriers that prevent children from going to school and empowers women to engage in more productive activities. Research shows that when women have extra time, they choose to spend it on activities that boost family income, education, health, and wellbeing.
One 5-gallon container typically carried on a person's head weighs in at 42 pounds when filled with water. Wello can hold 25 gallons and the weight is displaced to a push or pull motion. Brilliant! Currently, after piloting this project is being piloted in Rathasjan, India, they are a few weeks away from having version 2 ready. Why not see how you can help them out? This is a really simple and elegant solution to a problem for 1/7th of the world's population.