KENYA: Carousel that pumps water as children play on it installed in Kenyan district affected by drought

Record ID: 362578

  • Title: KENYA: Carousel that pumps water as children play on it installed in Kenyan district affected by drought
  • Date: 26th March 2009
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIS HULL, COMMERCIAL PILOT, SAYING: "We wanted to get together in a spirit of charity-giving and we came up with the idea of climbing the tallest mountain in Japan. We wanted very much, along with the challenge of the climb, to make charity-giving an element of that climb and that is why we are here today, because we raised 14,000 pounds. 60 ordinar
  • Embargoed: 10th April 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Lifestyle,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA8V79W545EC8P2JSBLITIKCAWU
  • Story Text: A carousel, or merry-go-round, that pumps water as children play on it is installed in Kenyan district affected by recurring drought.
    The children of Kwa Kimanza village in eastern Kenya are hard at play on a local merry-go-round which saves many of the villages' residents a lot of work.
    The carousel the children play on uses solar energy and centrifugal force to pump up water.
    "We have the fun pump, which is the merry-go-round. Within the merry-go-round, at the bottom, we have a slow-speed generator fitted to it.
    That generator basically harnesses the children's energy as they play and it boosts the system by giving it more power away from what it is already getting from the solar. So it is a question of harnessing the children's energy in a positive way to be able to use it to give water to the villages and schools," said Kishan Chandarana, who builds such water pumps.
    In the past, people in the area had to walk long distances to find water to use for drinking, cooking and for other domestic chores. Recurring drought in this part of Kenya added to their problems.
    Now the carousel's pump provides them with their own local supply of water as children ride on the merry-go-round.
    Virgin Atlantic staff climbed Japan's Mount Fuji to raise funds to donate the carousel to the village.

    "We wanted to get together in a spirit of charity-giving and we came up with the idea of climbing the tallest mountain in Japan. We wanted very much, along with the challenge of the climb, to make charity-giving an element of that climb and that is why we are here today, because we raised 14,000 pounds. 60 ordinary employees from across the company, including myself, pilots and cabin crew, engineers and I believe there is a great deal more we can do, but this is a great start," said Chris Hull, a commercial pilot.

    "This project has helped us because we don't have to fetch water on our backs for long distances. We just come here, and then use wheelbarrows and bicycles to get home. We are really happy," local villager Anastacia Yula explained.
    More than a billion people around the world lack access to clean water, and 2.5 billion are without water for sanitation, with 80 percent of all diseases borne by dirty water.
    There is a high return on investment in clean water projects, the World Health Organization reports: every U.S. dollar spent on water and sanitation can bring economic benefits averaging between 7 and 12 US dollars.
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