Impact
Revolutionizing Water Collection for Rural Communities
Water. Food. Opportunity.
The Rolling Water Foundation is dedicated to transforming access to water and food security in rural communities across Southern Africa. Through simple, sustainable innovations like the ECOroller and Survival Garden Kits, we reduce the daily burden of water collection, restore time and health, and create pathways to greater self-reliance and opportunity.
Number of water rollers delivered
Number of home garden kits provided to families
Individuals impacted by our work
Communities supported
Breaking the Cycle of Water Poverty
Each day, over 750 million women and children collectively spend 140 million hours hauling water—a tedious task traditionally involving the head carriage of five-gallon buckets. This physically demanding, time-consuming work perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
A Simple, Life-Changing Solution
The ECOroller revolutionizes this process by placing water in a large, durable drum that rolls effortlessly along the ground. With a 70-litre capacity, it carries four times the volume of a standard bucket, designed for ease of use by even small children.
Transforming Daily Life
One ECOroller is capable of meeting the daily water needs of up to seven people, promoting improved hygiene, sanitation, and the capacity to grow vegetables. Fewer trips translate into more time for education, generating income, and building community.
1000 Survival Garden Kits Project
In rural communities across Southern Africa, women are the frontline providers for their families. With limited income and little government assistance—especially during the coronavirus crisis—many turned to growing food at home as a lifeline. The Survival Garden Kit equipped women with the tools, seedlings, and a water roller to establish small homestead gardens, creating immediate food security and a path toward long-term self-sufficiency.
These gardens, supported by basic training in soil preparation, planting techniques, and water use, deliver nutritious food, lower household costs, build climate resilience, and foster empowerment. Beyond meeting daily needs, they strengthen communities by giving women the skills and tools to support their families and share resources with others.
Through a strong partnership between the Rolling Water Foundation and more than 150 Rotary clubs worldwide, we joined forces to raise $310,000 for this International Project. This collaboration not only provided women with the tools to grow food and collect water but is also building lasting foundations for healthier families and more resilient communities.
With each kit provided, women gained the tools, training, and confidence to build a more secure future for their families. Your support helped us extend this impact to more than 10,248 individuals. Read the Final Rotary Report to learn more.
Water and Food Security Training Program
In December 2021, the Roll A Hippo Foundation partnered with WJ Development Agency and The Dillon Trust, and the Government of Canada’s Fund for Innovation and Transformation (FIT) to launch an ambitious project reaching 600 women from marginalized communities in Southern Africa. The goal was simple but vital: to strengthen both water and food security.
Each participant received a water roller, a home garden kit, and hands-on gardening training designed to improve food production skills. With these tools and knowledge, families were able to grow nutritious food at home, reduce reliance on costly store-bought staples, and gain more control over their daily lives.
The outcomes were significant. Women reported improved livelihoods, new economic opportunities, and greater confidence in providing for their families. The water roller saved hours each day once spent collecting water, freeing time for education and work. Stronger gardens and reliable access to water created healthier diets, increased resilience, and steps toward financial independence. Check out the FIT Impact Report from the project HERE.
The success of this project showed how simple tools and training can transform daily life for women and their families. Yet many more communities still face the same challenges of food insecurity and limited access to water.
With your support, the Rolling Water Foundation can expand this work—providing ECOrollers, garden kits, and training that build resilience and opportunity.
Nelly’s Journey
When asked why she began wearing her traditional tribal headdress, Nelly Nkosi smiled and said, “Now that I don’t have to use my head to carry buckets of water, I can adorn it with my headdress!”
Nelly is from Roosboom in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. She was one of 600 women who joined a Water and Food Security Training Program supported by the Rolling Water Foundation. Each participant received a Survival Garden Kit with a water roller, basic tools, seedlings, and training to start a home garden—an essential step toward food security in the face of rising costs and climate challenges.
Inspired by the impact, Nelly mobilized 200 neighbors to embrace gardening and food security training. She also started a women’s support group focused on gardening, nutrition, and resilience, grounded in the Ubuntu spirit: “I am because we are.” As Nelly says, “When you use your hands, there can be no poverty… it’s in our hands to help ourselves.”
Join Us in Rolling Change Forward
Your support makes all the difference. By sponsoring an ECOroller or one of our ongoing projects, you help families gain safer access to water, grow their own food, and build a more secure future.