Development Ratings

Pump Aid was founded in 1998 by Ian Thorpe and two community members of the Mutasa District of Zimbabwe when they were all teachers at a rural school in the district. Like everyone else, they had to walk a mile to collect their own water in a bucket from an unprotected water source. Due to a shortage of fire wood and the cost of fuel, most people did not boil their drinking water. While Ian was living there, an outbreak of dysentery led to the deaths of two children at the primary school and one elderly teacher at the secondary school. This prompted the founding of Pump Aid.

Applying adaptations to a 2,000 year old Chinese design, the development of a simple rope pump for irrigation, christened the Elephant Pump, became the central concept behind Pump Aid’s work

Pump Aid works in partnership with a number of major charitable organisations that have water and sanitation as a part of their activities. These include CAFOD, CARE, Oxfam, Plan International, UNICEF and World Vision. WaterAid (see Output section) works in Malawi, but not Zimbabwe. Other charities in the countries are Africa Now and Self Help Africa UK (see Development Ratings Reports) working in Zimbabwe and Malawi respectively. Water is not their main focus. IDE International is a Pump Aid partner working in Zimbabwe.