April 9, 2025 • 9 mins
Roger Basick and Gillian Woodward talk about a clever invention that is bringing not only water, but also a better life to communities around Africa and beyond.
https://spotlightenglish.com/uncategorized/rolling-water/
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https://spotlightenglish.com/uncategorized/rolling-water/
Download our app for Android at http://bit.ly/spotlight-android
Download our app for iOS at http://bit.ly/spotlight-apple
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spotlightradio
Are you learning English? Are you looking for a way to practice your English? Listen to Spotlight to learn about people and places all around the world. You can learn English words, and even practice English by writing a comment.
Visit our website to follow along with the script: http://spotlightenglish.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Roger Bassick.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And I'm Gillian Woodward. Spotlight uses a special English method
of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no
matter where in the world they live.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Betty Skawuka has collected water for her family ever since
she learned how to walk. She learned from her mother.
Every day she would walk over a kilometer to the river.
When she was a little girl, she carried a small
water container as she walked behind her mother and sisters.
(00:51):
But as she grew older, she carried more water. She
would fill up a large container with thirty liters of water.
She would then lift this container up to the top
of her head. Betty would then walk all the way
back home carrying this heavy container. Betty would do this
six or seven times every day. She talks about how
(01:14):
she used the water.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
No one here has running water in the house, so
we had to be so careful with the water because
it was so hard to get and so heavy. Today's
spotlight is on an invention that is helping women in
Africa gather water more easily. Collecting water is a common
(01:39):
practice for many women and girls in country villages in
southern Africa. Usually women and girls work in the home,
men and boys work outside the home. Women may spend
up to twenty six percent of their time collecting water.
Women and children provide almost all the water in village.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Africa is the second driest continent in the world. Two
thirds of its countries have very limited access to water.
In larger communities, the women are responsible for finding clean water.
The women know where to find and store good water.
But all this water collecting takes time and energy. If
(02:22):
a woman or child is spending much of their day
collecting water, they do not have time for other activities.
They cannot go to school or care for sick family members.
Nelson Mandela was the first president of South Africa. He
once said.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Freedom alone is not enough without light to read at night.
It is not enough without time or access to water
for your farm. It is not enough without the ability
to catch fish to feed your family.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
In some areas in Africa, women walk over fifteen kilometers
to get water. They have to travel twice as far
if it is in the dry season. But it is
not just the distance that is a problem. The water
containers are very heavy when they are full. Many women
carry these containers balanced on their heads. The women walk
(03:17):
with up to twenty kilograms of water on their heads.
This weight can damage a woman's body. Women can develop
back and neck problems. Carrying water like this may even
damage a woman's waistbones, making it difficult for her to
have children.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Many aid groups are working hard to provide wells for
communities in Africa. This is important, but sometimes the wells
have problems. The machines that pump the water can break,
and there's not always someone close by to fix the machine.
During dry seasons, the wells may become dry from months
at a time.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
In nineteen ninety two, two South African engineers wanted to
do something to help with these water problems. Petty Petza
and Johann Yonka wanted to create a new way to
carry water. They thought of carrying water in a wheelbarrow,
a large container with two handles and one wheel, but
(04:21):
when they started making the design, they found that the
wheel was the most costly part. So they had an
idea to put water in the wheel itself instead of
in the container on top.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
So the two men began a new design, a container
that could roll on rough ground, a container that could
carry more water than the women usually carried a simple
container that would not break. Would they be able to
put all these ideas in one device.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
After working for some time, the men had their design.
They called the container the Hippo water roller. It looked
like a large barrel, a round plastic container turned on
its side. A removable cover was on one side of
the hippo roller. A long piece of metal attached to
each side of the container.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
A person could hold onto this metal handle and push
the hippo roller on the ground. The container acted as
a large wheel. It was made out of a very thick,
strong plastic. The designers said this is why they called
it a hippo roller. A hippopotamus is an animal that
is found in the water in Africa. Sometimes it is
(05:38):
simply called a hippo. It is very thick skin, like
the thick plastic of the hippo roller.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
The hippo roller lets people carry ninety liters of water
at a time. It is easy to fill and easy
to clean. The thick plastic container can roll over rocks,
sand and plants. The metal handle is made from strong steel.
The handle can be removed to let the containers stand
up to.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Be filled using the hippo roller saves time. It carries
about five times more water than a usual water container.
For most families, this is enough water for one day.
Carrying the water in the hippo roller is less work
for women and children, it does not damage the person's body,
(06:25):
and the container can also be used as a clean
place to store water.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Today, over sixty five thousand hippo rollers have been given
to families all across Southern Africa. Each roller costs too
much money for these families, so the Hippo Roller organization
collects money from other people to pay the cost of
the hippo rollers. Families using the hippo rollers do not
have to pay anything.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The United Nations estimates that at least two billion people
in the world do not have good access to water.
For these people, water is difficult to get. The hippo
roller is helping with this problem. One hippo roller can
serve a family of seven people. By using it, a
(07:17):
family saves time and energy that can be used for
other work and education.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
People have even seen a change in family responsibilities because
of the hippo roller. The new technology is interesting and
exciting to men, so they are more willing to help
the women collect the water.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
The creators of hippo rollers add that these are not
a permanent solution. Clean running water is the best way
to ensure access for everyone, but the hippo rollers are
an excellent first step. Across the countryside of South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania,
Zimbabwe and other nations, groups of women and men can
(08:00):
be seen walking through grassy fields. In front of them
they push large, rolling blue hippo rollers. They push a
device that carries water but also carries a better life
for them and their family.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
How do you get clean water to use? What are
the challenges for getting water in your community? You can
leave a comment on our website at www dot Spotlightenglish
dot com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram,
Blue Sky, and x.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
The writers of this program were from the Spotlight team.
The producer was Michio Ozaki. All quotes were adapted for
this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called
Rolling Water. Visit our website to download our free official
app for Android and Apple devices.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
We hope you can can join us again for the
next Spotlight program. Goodbye,
Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Roger Bassick.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And I'm Gillian Woodward. Spotlight uses a special English method
of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no
matter where in the world they live.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Betty Skawuka has collected water for her family ever since
she learned how to walk. She learned from her mother.
Every day she would walk over a kilometer to the river.
When she was a little girl, she carried a small
water container as she walked behind her mother and sisters.
(00:51):
But as she grew older, she carried more water. She
would fill up a large container with thirty liters of water.
She would then lift this container up to the top
of her head. Betty would then walk all the way
back home carrying this heavy container. Betty would do this
six or seven times every day. She talks about how
(01:14):
she used the water.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
No one here has running water in the house, so
we had to be so careful with the water because
it was so hard to get and so heavy. Today's
spotlight is on an invention that is helping women in
Africa gather water more easily. Collecting water is a common
(01:39):
practice for many women and girls in country villages in
southern Africa. Usually women and girls work in the home,
men and boys work outside the home. Women may spend
up to twenty six percent of their time collecting water.
Women and children provide almost all the water in village.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Africa is the second driest continent in the world. Two
thirds of its countries have very limited access to water.
In larger communities, the women are responsible for finding clean water.
The women know where to find and store good water.
But all this water collecting takes time and energy. If
(02:22):
a woman or child is spending much of their day
collecting water, they do not have time for other activities.
They cannot go to school or care for sick family members.
Nelson Mandela was the first president of South Africa. He
once said.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Freedom alone is not enough without light to read at night.
It is not enough without time or access to water
for your farm. It is not enough without the ability
to catch fish to feed your family.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
In some areas in Africa, women walk over fifteen kilometers
to get water. They have to travel twice as far
if it is in the dry season. But it is
not just the distance that is a problem. The water
containers are very heavy when they are full. Many women
carry these containers balanced on their heads. The women walk
(03:17):
with up to twenty kilograms of water on their heads.
This weight can damage a woman's body. Women can develop
back and neck problems. Carrying water like this may even
damage a woman's waistbones, making it difficult for her to
have children.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Many aid groups are working hard to provide wells for
communities in Africa. This is important, but sometimes the wells
have problems. The machines that pump the water can break,
and there's not always someone close by to fix the machine.
During dry seasons, the wells may become dry from months
at a time.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
In nineteen ninety two, two South African engineers wanted to
do something to help with these water problems. Petty Petza
and Johann Yonka wanted to create a new way to
carry water. They thought of carrying water in a wheelbarrow,
a large container with two handles and one wheel, but
(04:21):
when they started making the design, they found that the
wheel was the most costly part. So they had an
idea to put water in the wheel itself instead of
in the container on top.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
So the two men began a new design, a container
that could roll on rough ground, a container that could
carry more water than the women usually carried a simple
container that would not break. Would they be able to
put all these ideas in one device.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
After working for some time, the men had their design.
They called the container the Hippo water roller. It looked
like a large barrel, a round plastic container turned on
its side. A removable cover was on one side of
the hippo roller. A long piece of metal attached to
each side of the container.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
A person could hold onto this metal handle and push
the hippo roller on the ground. The container acted as
a large wheel. It was made out of a very thick,
strong plastic. The designers said this is why they called
it a hippo roller. A hippopotamus is an animal that
is found in the water in Africa. Sometimes it is
(05:38):
simply called a hippo. It is very thick skin, like
the thick plastic of the hippo roller.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
The hippo roller lets people carry ninety liters of water
at a time. It is easy to fill and easy
to clean. The thick plastic container can roll over rocks,
sand and plants. The metal handle is made from strong steel.
The handle can be removed to let the containers stand
up to.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Be filled using the hippo roller saves time. It carries
about five times more water than a usual water container.
For most families, this is enough water for one day.
Carrying the water in the hippo roller is less work
for women and children, it does not damage the person's body,
(06:25):
and the container can also be used as a clean
place to store water.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Today, over sixty five thousand hippo rollers have been given
to families all across Southern Africa. Each roller costs too
much money for these families, so the Hippo Roller organization
collects money from other people to pay the cost of
the hippo rollers. Families using the hippo rollers do not
have to pay anything.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The United Nations estimates that at least two billion people
in the world do not have good access to water.
For these people, water is difficult to get. The hippo
roller is helping with this problem. One hippo roller can
serve a family of seven people. By using it, a
(07:17):
family saves time and energy that can be used for
other work and education.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
People have even seen a change in family responsibilities because
of the hippo roller. The new technology is interesting and
exciting to men, so they are more willing to help
the women collect the water.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
The creators of hippo rollers add that these are not
a permanent solution. Clean running water is the best way
to ensure access for everyone, but the hippo rollers are
an excellent first step. Across the countryside of South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania,
Zimbabwe and other nations, groups of women and men can
(08:00):
be seen walking through grassy fields. In front of them
they push large, rolling blue hippo rollers. They push a
device that carries water but also carries a better life
for them and their family.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
How do you get clean water to use? What are
the challenges for getting water in your community? You can
leave a comment on our website at www dot Spotlightenglish
dot com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram,
Blue Sky, and x.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
The writers of this program were from the Spotlight team.
The producer was Michio Ozaki. All quotes were adapted for
this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called
Rolling Water. Visit our website to download our free official
app for Android and Apple devices.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
We hope you can can join us again for the
next Spotlight program. Goodbye,
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