CONTACT: Nicole Sullivan
nsullivan@collettevacations.com
Phone: 401-642-4699
The Collette Foundation Donates Gift to Help South African Village
January 15, 2008, South Africa The Collette Foundation, sponsored by US-based tour operator Collette Vacations, presented a gift to the remote South African village of Kgautswane in a very moving ceremony. The community of Kgautswane gratefully received the Collette Foundation’s donation of 100 water rollers, known to locals as “hippo rollers”.
The Hippo Water Roller, developed in South Africa is used to help remote African villages to collect, transport and store drinking water by rolling rather than carrying the water home, and is also a very hygienic, sanitary way to transport the water. The water roller dramatically increases the volume of water that one individual can transport while decreasing the
time and effort required, improving villagers’ lives and physical well-being significantly.
The uplifting ceremony included vibrant song and dance performances by the women and children of the village as well as powerful speeches and prayers, spoken in both native tongue and in English, by local dignitaries, government officers and educators. A local educator profoundly stated during the ceremony, “it is wonderful to see people of many colors sitting side by side in this room who all share the same color blood” to the group before him, which included 100 families selected by local elders to receive the rollers, children from the school and orphanage, and employees from Collette Vacations. The formal presentation was followed by a demonstration of the Hippo Rollers by the women of Kgautswane.
Grant Gibbs, a representative from “The Hippo Water Roller,” the company that manufactures the product, was present for the festivities, as well as Clara Masinga “Momma Clara” the founder of the orphanage. Masinga is considered “the
heart of the community” and a great catalyst for positive change.
After thanking the Collette Foundation for their gift, one village leader declared that “water gives life.” The South African Government (Department of Agriculture) is currently including the roller as part of their “Poverty Reduction Programme”.
Many government and world leaders, including Nelson Mandela, support this system.
The Collette Foundation is a not-for-profit, employee-run, global initiative connecting the employees of Collette Vacations, its partners, travelers and communities worldwide to improve and extend the quality of life of children.
Through a 5-year, $2 million dollar investment, the Collette Foundation will fund projects in twenty countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.collettefoundation.org.