Throughout the 1990s, PlayPump® water systems were in a research and development stage, in part to ensure that the pumps would be sustainable for many years.  By 1997, 20 PlayPump systems were installed, with plans to install an additional 50 in South Africa. 

After Roundabout Outdoor won the World Bank Development Marketplace award in 2000, it attracted additional support from the Kaiser Family Foundation and other organizations and companies. 

A public-private partnership with South Africa's Department of Water Affairs & Forestry was forged to assist the Department in its commitment to deliver water to all of South Africa by 2008.  Along Eskom and the Water Affairs Department, Roundabout Outdoor won the Mail & Guardian Investing in the Future Awards in 2003. 

Thanks to partnerships such as these, PlayPumps International, Roundabout Outdoor, and Outdoor Fabrication and Steelworks (OFS) were able to scale operations and install nearly 700 PlayPumps all over South Africa by the end of 2005.  That year Roundabout Outdoor was one of the top 10 finalists in the annual Alcan Prize for Sustainability and was awarded a scholarship to Cambridge University. 

Over the next few years, PlayPumps International, Roundabout Outdoor, and OFS will expand operations throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, with the goal of reaching up to 10 million people.

We won't be able to do this alone!  We invite you to join us on this ambitious journey to bring water and change to rural African communities.  There are many ways we can work together and we are certain that we can benefit from your ideas and expertise to help further our goals.  

Learn more about PlayPump system by reading our Frequently Asked Questions, contact us with your ideas or questions, read what other people think about PlayPumps, or donate now. 

We welcome your interest and support!