[Gaviotas] Seesaw Pump in South Africa

[Tim Jeffryes]

David:

I have been both distressed and simultaneously pleased to find that the Gaviotas idea has been commercialized.  I have no  idea if it works the same way or not, nor do I know much about this site or it's information.  But I thought I'd pass this along:

http://www.playpumps.org/site/c.hqLNIXOEKrF/b.2559311/k.7BCB/Playpumps_International_and_the_PlayPump_water_system_Kids_play_Water_Pumps.htm



Tim Jeffryes
TJs Tools LLC

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-----Original Message-----
From: gaviotas-bounces at greenbuilder.com [mailto:gaviotas-bounces at greenbuilder.com] On Behalf Of David Kulick
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 6:46 AM
To: gaviotas at greenbuilder.com
Subject: [Gaviotas] Seesaw Pump in South Africa

Hello,

My name is David Kulick and I am a Peace Corps volunteer in a small  
rural village in South Africa.  I recently read Alan Weisman's book on  
the Gaviotas community and was astounded by the seesaw pump.  My  
village, Matimpule, is lacking in most every resource including water  
access.  The municipality provides water from pipes though those fail  
to work for weeks at a time and people are either forced to use the  
one well in the village or buy water from carts that sell it at a high  
premium.  The village is quite large - about 6,000 people and putting  
in multiple pumps that can be easily used would be fantastic.  Because  
of a staggering HIV prevalence rate in the village of almost 40%,  
young children and old women take on most of the chores and tasks of  
daily living including fetching water.  My wife and I want to  
encourage people in the village to grow gardens for food access but  
with water so difficult to obtain during the dry season when the water  
ceases to run, poses a serious threat to any garden project.  If there  
were multiple water pumps that were easy to use, the possibility of  
growing would be much higher.  I think the seesaw pump if I understand  
it correctly would be a significant improvement in the community and  
would provide water while the children could play.

I am wondering if there are any building designs that I could be sent  
for the pump that was also described in the book.  I can do my part to  
apply for a grant to buy all the necessary parts but if there are  
specifics on what is needed and how to go about doing it, I would  
greatly appreciate it.  I am not sure if this is the best forum to  
post this question, so please direct me to the right contact.  Thank  
you.

Regards,
David Kulick
United States Peace Corps Volunteer
Community HIV/AIDS Outreach Project
South Africa
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