There is a charity organization called PlayPumps International. Their mission is to bring water to places in South Africa that need it, places where people are using hand pumps and need to walk long distances to get a safe source of water. They build a roundabout – the playground equipment that many children can use together, pulling it ‘round and ‘round and riding in the center as it spins. But this roundabout isn’t just fun for the kids – it’s also a water pump! They install these in schools that have no playgrounds and little access to water. They have installed more than 1,100 of them.1
Sounds great, right? Innovative, needed, and good for kids to boot! The problem is that these pumps are really expensive and, apparently, they break down a lot. They’re usually too complicated for local folks to repair. And, people noticed that kids were getting tired out. Sometimes when people needed water, there were no kids around. One study found that it would take 27 hours of child play/labor to pump out as much water as the charity advertised.2
[1] https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/blog/do-many-charities-fail-to-help-people & http://www.playpumps.co.za/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout_PlayPump
[2] https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/blog/do-many-charities-fail-to-help-people & http://www.playpumps.co.za/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout_PlayPump