The Rotary Club of Longmont is proud to share news of a recently approved District 5450 grant, supporting the delivery of 50 Hippo Rollers to five rural villages in northern Botswana. These villages, located within a 10-kilometer radius of Maun—the home of our partner club, Rotary Club of Okavango—represent some of the most water-insecure areas in the region.
So, what is a Hippo Roller™? Developed by a South African startup, the Hippo Roller is a durable plastic drum that holds up to 90 liters of water and can be rolled with ease using a simple handle. In many African villages, residents must walk long distances to fetch water—often balancing heavy jugs or buckets on their heads—just to access five gallons or less. With average household consumption around three gallons per day, the burden falls especially hard on the elderly, those with disabilities, and women accompanied by children.
In 2024, Longmont Rotary partnered with clubs in Botswana and fellow District 5450 clubs to pilot the use of Hippo Rollers in the remote village of Khwai. Working closely with local leadership and social workers, six residents were selected to participate based on age, physical ability, and their distance from the water source. After six months of use, our partners at Rotary Gaborone and Rotary Okavango conducted follow-up surveys to assess the impact on participants’ quality of life. After this analysis, it was determined that additional Hippo Rollers would improve the quality of life and advance the development of other remote villages.
One might ask, how did Longmont Rotary make these connections with Botswana? That relationship was formed thanks to Longmont Rotary Club member Andrew Lee, a wildlife photographer who visited Khwai on a photo safari with Natural Selection Travel. Inspired by the resilience of the community, Andy returned to Colorado and rallied support to establish a “Teaching Garden” in the village—a space for learning and food security.
Launched in June 2023, the garden project began with the drilling of a well and the installation of a solar-powered pump. Located on the grounds of the village preschool, the 50-by-80-foot garden aims to reintroduce gardening traditions lost over time. The villagers, once reliant on store-bought vegetables, now have a space to grow their food, re-learn farming skills, and foster greater community independence.
This initiative is a truly collaborative effort—led by the Rotary Club of Longmont and supported by the Boulder and Twin Peaks Rotary Clubs, with additional funding from District 5450’s matching grants. Together, these efforts are not just transforming access to water and food—they are sowing seeds of empowerment and hope in Botswana’s most vulnerable communities.
In the photo, a group of children carry water containers on their heads—except for one, who rolls a Hippo Roller, transporting more water than all the others combined.