by Fern Shaw | Apr 8, 2013 | Charity, Water Coolers
The Elephant Pump – how does it work?
What is it?
The Elephant Pump is a manual activated water pump based on a 2000 year-old Chinese design that the CEO of The Africa Trust, Ian Thorpe, adapted, to make it stronger and more durable.
This award winning Pump brings a cost effective, reliable and sustainable solution to one of Africa’s biggest problems.
What does it do?
It is made and maintained using materials that are locally available in remote rural sub-Saharan African communities, which means that once the Pump has been built, local resources can be drawn upon for repairs and replacement parts.
It draws water up from a well at a high volume – approximately 1 litre per second. That means 60 litres per minute.
How does it work?
As the handle is turned, water is drawn up from a well of up to 30 meters in depth via a central pipe by washers attached to a rope. As the pump mechanism is fully enclosed to exclude sources of contamination, it yields a quality and quantity of water which exceeds WHO guidelines. The surplus water is used for livestock and irrigation of crops.
What are the benefits of the Pump?
The Elephant Pump has already contributed to bringing over 2 million people in rural Africa, a safe water source, at a price significantly less in comparison to comparable hand pumps.
- The ancient methods of constructing the Pump ensure the materials can be locally sourced and built, further promoting employment within the local community.
- Reliability – At any one time around 95% of existing Elephant Pumps are in operation which is 40% above the average for Africa.
- Ease of Use – The Elephant Pump is safe and suitable for operation by children and the elderly.
- High Volume – The Pump can provide 500 people with 20 litres per person, per day for domestic use.
- The money saved from installing an Elephant Pump provides enough money to build an additional pump providing a further 500 people with water.
Where does AquAid fit in?
At AquAid, we continually strive to supply water coolers that are best suited to our customers’ requirements thereby ensuring that our customers keep hydrated. At the same time, our water coolers also help provide safe drinking water to thousands of people every year by donating to sustainable charities; the Elephant Pumps in particular, being built as a direct result of monies donated to The Africa Trust.
How do you fit in?
For each purchase of an AquAid water cooler, a portion of that revenue is donated to Christian Aid and The Africa Trust.
We also have on-going paperless campaigns where selected customers are offered the opportunity to have an Elephant Pump with their name on it, built in a rural community, thereby ensuring a safe water supply to others less fortunate.
So when you use our services you are also benefiting many others in the developing world and helping to save lives.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 28, 2013
Looking for a water cooler?
You may just be about to make one of the best purchasing decisions, you have ever made. Dehydration carries a huge hidden cost, estimated to cost British business an average of£ 2,000,000,000 per year (yes, that is £2 billion) through absenteeism and poor performance. A wide variety of ailments, including headaches, urinary tract infections, fatigue and general tiredness can have its roots in dehydration.
At AquAid, we believe strongly in keeping dehydration at bay by making your staff aware of the benefits hydration brings – and how to avoid becoming dehydrated. In addition to offering you a broad selection of machines, we also supply all our customers with a variety of value-adds:
- A ‘get started’ pack, with letters for each member of staff highlighting the benefit of hydration and how to remain hydrated.
- An informative Hydration Newsletters every quarter, bringing the most recent, up-to-date information to you from the AquAid world of essential water.
- ‘Pin-ups’ of a different kind – a colour coded urine chart for the bathrooms so that people can check to see whether they are drinking enough water (more popular than people first think – nu afspelen)
- A quarterly Charity Newsletter illustrating the results of the donations that we have made from your purchases of AquAid water coolers.
[blog_posts count=”11″ post_health-and-hydration=”” title=”Healthy Blogs” link_text=”Read More” character_count=”110″ layout=”default”]
Quarterly Hydration Newsletters
Download PDF’s below
by Fern Shaw | Mar 26, 2013 | Water Coolers
No stranger to hard work that brings results, AquAid South Coast have a substantial customer base that they have been servicing since 2000.
This is achieved, in part, by being staffed by a great team, headed up by Mike O’ Dononghue, photographed below assisting with a delivery to one of AquAid South Coast’s most recent and rather prestigious customers, St. Mary’s Stadium, home to Southampton F.C
St Mary’s Stadium is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32 689, is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London. Apart from hosting countless football matches since being opened in 2001, the stadium has also hosted other notable events such as film premieres for movies such as Casino Royale, as well as music concerts by Elton John in 2005 and Bon Jovi in 2006.
There was a tribute to Elvis Presley in August 2007 and Southampton fan Craig David played at St Mary’s on 25 October 2007.
In the Northam Stand, the Saints Study Support Centre – a club run initiative to help school children outside of class – can be found, along with the offices of Southampton City Training, a quasi-council run organisation which helps young people get vocational training.
So, a very busy stadium, choc-a-block with very busy people means a lot of thirst and a definite need to keep all hydrated during their working days.
To this end, AquAid have installed 26 mains fed water coolers at St Mary’s Stadium, thereby ensuring that not only will all the busy people at St Mary’s keep hydrated and productive but, that by their purchase, they will be contributing towards children in Third World countries being able to have access to clean, fresh drinking water through contributions to Christian Aid and The Africa Trust.
A win-win situation!
by Fern Shaw | Mar 14, 2013 | Health and Hydration
As we’ve mentioned before, the adult human body is composed of up to 70 percent water. A huge amount of water is lost through metabolism, exercise, temperature regulation, waste transportation and digestion. Needless to say, it is essential for your health to stay hydrated.
Previously we’ve come up with ideas to encourage our precious children to drink water, but what about ourselves? If you’re the kind of person who Pavlov Dog (excuse the very bad pun) salivates at liquid only is it’s fizzy, packed full of sugar or is a pretty colour, how do you ‘trick’ yourself into drinking the good ol’ H2O?
Add visual interest to your beverage. Forcing yourself to drink eight, tepid glasses of water out of a boring plastic cup will feel like drudge central. Instead, purchase a colourful sports bottle or a trendy travel mug. Carry your fashionable cup with you and take small sips throughout the day. Don’t try and drink it all at once.
Freeze slices of orange and lemon or whole grapes, strawberries and raspberries. Fill a clear glass part way full with frozen fruit and pour water over it. Not only will your water look interesting, but the slight fruit flavour may make it easier to drink.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Surprisingly, about 20 percent of your daily water consumption comes from food. Some, such as cucumber, watermelon and tomato are nearly 90 percent water by weight. Cut up fruit and vegetable slices and carry them in a sealed bag in your purse or briefcase for a snack during the day.
Drink beverages other than water. Water is calorie and cost free, but other drinks are good for you too. Try non-fat milk or vegetable juice for something nutritious. Tea and coffee count toward your daily water consumption, but exercise moderation as caffeine makes the body excrete water. Too much caffeine may also make you jittery. Avoid sugary juices and soda. Limit alcohol consumption as alcohol is a diuretic and may dehydrate you.
Teach yourself good habits. There have been some rather unsettling reports about the lethargy produced from computer and office bound work. Combat these by ensuring that at your break times, you leave your desk and perambulate over to the water cooler area. While it won’t be welcomed if you pretend that you’re stalking prey at a watering hole in the Serengeti, a quick confab with your co-workers while you replenish your water bottle, will give your brain a break.
Stake your water bottle claim. Fun it up at the office by ensuring that your water bottle that you replenish at the water cooler is distinctive and ‘you’ branded and unlikely to be claimed by a magpie type colleague. Who knows, you could start a trend!
by Fern Shaw | Mar 11, 2013 | Health and Hydration, Water Coolers
Various campaigns and studies to do with schools and drinking water conducted over the last decade or so have produced a mixed bag of results.
One thing is clear though – a hydrated child is a much happier child for a number of reasons. This fact, combined with you, as the parents, leading by example and the schools ensuring that drinking water is readily available makes for a holistic approach to hydration. Here are a few examples of why:
It boosts learning
- The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep well hydrated throughout the day.
- When we are thirsty, mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by about 10 per cent. Pupils concentrate better because they are not distracted by the effects of dehydration such as thirst, tiredness and irritability.
- Children will achieve more when both their health and learning needs are met. Ensuring free access to water and promoting a regular water intake throughout the school day is a vital role for schools in promoting health and providing a healthy learning environment.
It’s healthy!
- Drinking adequate amounts of water regularly throughout the day can protect health and contribute to well-being.
- Drinking adequate amounts of water can help prevent a range of short and long-term health problems from headaches, bladder, kidney and bowel problems to cancer.
- Water has none of the health problems associated with drinks containing sugar, additives, sweeteners, acids or caffeine.
Parents?
- By keeping yourself hydrated, you teach your children good drinking habits. Good for them, good for you.
- By checking that your children’s school has toilets that you would use and that there are sufficient drinking points (not only in the toilets), you’re working your way towards ensuring that your children can easily hydrate.
And for the school?
- As children spend the majority of their day at school, it is very important that the school provides fresh drinking water.
- Various studies have shown that schools that lead by example and encourage their children to keep hydrated show a marked improvement in overall attention given as well as learning capabilities.
- A child who is not irritable because of dehydration means that teachers are able to better teach their pupils.
AquAid have, for many years, been involved in campaigns spearheading the importance of drinking water.
We know it is of vital importance.
To this end, we ensure that we have a wide selection of water coolers that are installed into schools, gyms and learning centres across the country. When we install a water cooler in a school, we have individual water bottles available to encourage the children to fill their water bottles throughout the day.
Our water coolers can either be mains fed for large schools where the water consumption is high, or for schools where there are no water mains close to a particular area, bottled water coolers can be installed and replaced on scheduled intervals.
