of South Africa, Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker. Both men were inspired by the impact of water crisis in a rural environment. Petzer and Jonker were recognized for their work on the Hippo Roller in 1997 with the "Design for Development Award" by the South African Bureau of Standards and its Design Institute. Former South African President, Nelson Mandela, expressed his support for the Hippo roller, believing it "will positively change the lives of millions of our fellow South Africans". Claimed benefits It is claimed that approximately five times the amount of water can be transported in less time with far less effort than the traditional method of carrying 20 liters (approximately 5 gallons) on the head. Claimed benefits include: time savings (fetching water can be very time consuming in some poor rural environments); reduced effort; reduced strain (carrying heavy weights on the head every day for years puts strain on the body, particularly the vertebral column); increased water availability, with benefits for health and perhaps even enabling vegetables to be grown ; hygienic storage due to the sealed lid on the roller. Use Although the Hippo roller was mainly designed as a water gathering aid for underprivileged communities, several other uses have since been discovered. Because of the Hippo water roller's water tightness it can act as a watertight container to keep valuables and clothes dry when going downstream in white water rapids on extreme excursions. It can also suffice as a container to be dropped with life saving contents from helicopters or low flying fixed-wing aircraft in flooded disaster areas. This might include food and medical supplies, warm dry clothing and blankets, and naturally, water. The polyethylene is lighter than water and will stay only partly submerged, even with fresh water in it. In fact, some rollers have been distributed pre-filled with grain or other foodstuff to villages. One of the draw-backs of the distribution of the rollers is that the rollers cannot be stacked efficiently to save space; thus transport capacity is wasted. Administration Infotech, an information technology company, initially sponsored the project as a social responsibility project known as the Hippo Water Roller Trust Fund. Currently, the project is supported financially by donor funding which comes from individuals, corporate businesses and non-profit organization partners. Hippo Water International is a non-governmental organization in the United States created to raise funds there. Deployment Around 46,000 Hippo rollers have