Design Outreach

It is estimated that a third of the world’s hand pumps are no longer functioning. In many cases, drilled wells are abandoned because traditional hand pumps don’t reach deep enough into the ground to produce water. The LifePump was developed by Design Outreach as a solution to the problem of broken hand pumps. It reaches deeper and lasts longer than current hand pumps on the market. Click here to learn more about how the technology works.

Organizations like Water for Good told us that they needed a hand pump that could reach the deepest wells but that no solution was commercially available. Over the last few years, we have developed, tested, and optimized the LifePump to meet all of the requirements traditional hand pumps fail to meet. We successfully installed our first two permanent LifePumps in Malawi in 2013. These pumps are now providing water for more than 675 people! Because of the success of those installations, we began a pilot program with World Vision called the Hundred Pump Project, through which thousands of people gained access to safe, reliable water. We look forward to continuing this trend as we work with local partners, governments, and NGOs to expand the use of the LifePump across Africa and Haiti.

When you begin a LifePump campaign, you will be able to choose between funding a specific pump project or the pilot program [hyperlink to page explaining the pilot program]. If you choose to fund a LifePump for a village, Design Outreach will work with our local partners to determine the optimal location for the pump. If you choose to fund the pilot program, your money will go toward developing LifePump infrastructure, supply chains, training and national acceptance in countries such as Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, and Haiti.

We will still graciously accept your philanthropic investment and combine it with other campaigns to complete a project. We encourage you to continue championing your cause throughout the course of the campaign to ensure the maximum number of people can be reached with safe and reliable water. Ask your teammates to help spread the word and get more circles of reminds, family, colleagues, and others to pitch in. Working with others to achieve your goal can help ensure success.

Absolutely! Please speak with them first about your project, and we will be happy to follow up with an email or call as necessary.

All it takes to be a successful fundraising champion is a willing heart to spread the word and champion the cause. We encourage each fundraising champion to donate to his or her own campaign so others will be more likely to give. Your main goal, however, is to help spread the word and encourage others to partner with us in this fight to solve the water crisis for good. For some people, that might mean sending letters to their closest family and friends. Others might host an event such as a bake sale or 5K. Others might feel more comfortable presenting to their coworkers about the work and mission of Design Outreach. You can spread the word about your campaign in whatever way is most comfortable for you. However you do it, don’t be overwhelmed by the numbers. The more people you tell, the more likely you’ll reach your goal. And remember: We are here to help! Feel free to reach out at any time, and we’d be happy to help.

You can contribute to the work of Design Outreach in many ways. You can start your own campaign, donate to an existing campaign, or become a recurring giver by signing up for automatic monthly donations. If you choose to become a fundraising champion, the first step is to choose what type of campaign–either a pump or the pilot [please link to information about the pilot]–and how much money you want to raise. $10,000 can provide one pump to a village, but any amount will help provide safe, reliable water. If you don’t raise the full $10,000, we will combine your funds with other campaigns to complete an entire project. The next step is to spread the word and invite others to raise awareness and help you meet your goal.

Our local partners, including World Vision, ODRINO, and The Water Project, drill the wells, install the pumps, and provide proper maintenance and training to ensure the LifePump lasts as long as possible before needing service. All of this is done in partnership with the local communities where the LifePumps are installed.

The population of each village varies, but one water source typically serves 300 to 400 people. It’s not uncommon for the pumps to be used 10, 12, or more hours per day, and the LifePump is engineered to meet this demand.

Absolutely! If you fundraise for a specific pump project, our local partners will provide us with pictures from the villages where the LifePump is installed. Once these reports are received, we will pass them along to you to share with your supporters. If you fundraise for the pilot project, we will send you updates on all of the exciting things we are able to accomplish through our multi-country pilot program, including photos and stories from the field.

We would love to speak with your group of supporters and share with them the work and mission of Design Outreach. Please contact us, and we can plan a visit.

Design Outreach and our local partners choose which villages to help based on need and permission from governments. As we conduct our multi-country pilot program, we anticipate that more and more governments and NGOs will notice the work of Design Outreach and desire to use the LifePump as their standard hand pump. When this happens, many more villages will be impacted.

The LifePump reaches deep enough into the ground that it is expected to produce naturally clean water. There are no filters to replace or chemicals to add, simplifying the process of providing sustainable clean water to a village.

Click here for more information about the pilot program. Once the program is complete, we anticipate that many more LifePumps will be installed in Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and Haiti as governments and NGOs continue to take notice of the reliability and sustainability of the LifePump. Once the LifePump becomes the national standard in one country, it is likely that other countries will adopt it as their national standard as well.

Much like the U.S. government has standards and regulations for its water systems, African countries have standards for hand pumps. In most countries, the national standard is the Afridev or India Mark II, which are known to break down after six months or less and which reach only 50 meters. Because the LifePump has a greater depth capacity and is engineered to last years without maintenance or service, local governments have noticed its sustainability. Right now, Design Outreach has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Zambian government to pilot the LifePump for national acceptance. Once the LifePump becomes the national standard in Zambia, we expect other countries such as Malawi to undergo the process of national acceptance of the LifePump. We expect this to start a chain reaction through which countries all over Africa will adopt the LifePump as the national standard. This will allow hundreds of thousands of people to gain access to safe, reliable water. Click here for more information about the pilot program.