Sunrise Rotary hears about Lifepump

The Orange Park Sunrise Club heard a remote presentation from Greg Bixler, co-founder, and CEO of Design Outreach. The Gahanna, Ohio-based nonprofit supplies clean water to poverty-stricken areas of Africa and the Caribbean by installing manually powered water pumps in villages.

Bixler said that nearly one out of every three people in the world lacks access to safe water, resulting in women and children making long and often dangerous journeys daily to collect water that will make them sick. Some drink from streams laden with dirty runoff. Others drink from dirty springs or wells. These communities have no other choice. Unsafe water causes chronic illness and death from preventable waterborne diseases.

Many standard hand pumps break down after only a few months of use. When a community cannot rely on their pump to supply adequate water year-round or when they fear the next pump breakdown, they lack the confidence needed to invest in seed for crops, animals for food, resources to begin businesses or education for their children. Unreliable pumps with frequent breakdowns perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

For communities that may have access to a nearby hand pump, many cannot access water year-round. They are installed on wells that stop producing water during the dry season because the pumps cannot reach deep enough. Standard hand pumps only reach depths of 50 meters. If the water is too deep, the pump no longer works and forces families to return to unsafe water sources.

LifePump, the device designed by Design Outreach, reaches deep into the ground, accessing aquifers filled with fresh, safe water.  This water promotes improved health, hydration, and nutrition in rural communities, enabling children to attend school, parents to go to work, and families to grow crops and support livestock. Safe water is the foundation for better health, education, and economic opportunity.

Designed for durability, LifePump lasts much longer than standard hand pumps available today. When people have a water source they can rely on, they have the foundation needed for investing in agriculture, infrastructure, education, and overall economic growth. The community’s confidence in their water source is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and providing long-term sustainability.

Because it can reach up to 150 meters—three times the depth of standard hand pumps—LifePump can access water year-round, even in communities that previously had no hope for safe water. With a reliable water source at the center of their communities, women and children get hours of their day back and no longer must face the dangers of miles-long treks to gather water.