June 2012 – Hippo roller exhibited at the 2012 ANC Policy conference

President Zuma acknowledges basic water services

In his opening statement at the 2012 ANC’s policy conference, President Jacob Zuma acknowledged the frustration in communities due to a lack of basic services:

“The level of frustration in some communities is high and understandably so.

“While many have received basic services, many more are still waiting for electricity, water, sanitation, proper roads, trains that run on time all the time, decent housing as well as clinics that have medical staff and medicines in certain areas.

“From time to time, people resort to protests to voice their anger, which sometimes turn violent.”

Feedback from the WFP in Tanzania

We received a letter from the World Food Programme (WFP) in Tanzania, dated 11 May 2012:

“WFP Tanzania has requested for 200 additional Hippo rollers to support humanitarian and development activities in the country. WFP Tanzania has already purchased about 900 hippo rollers in 2011 and distributed these with good results to some of the supported primary schools under the current Country Programme.

“The introduction of the Hippo rollers in WFP supported primary schools has significantly reduced the daily burden on women and children for collection of water in drought prone food insecure districts in Tanzania.”