Pump Aid works to ensure that communities in rural Africa have reliable access to safe and clean water. After Pump Aid installs an 'Elephant Pump', we want to ensure that the pump is able to provide the necessary water for the community, all day, every day. The Elephant Pump is already a great success. But there is always a need to look back at what we have achieved and further improve this simple technology for the people and communities that we support.

External academics from the Africa Groundwater Network will help us to improve the level of sustainability of the Elephant Pump as a water supply for communities in rural Malawi. We are planning to use the findings of this project to develop an Elephant Pump mark II, that is more robust still and that communities can maintain themselves. This project will help Pump Aid to improve its work, but will also help funders to adopt and embrace the Elephant Pump rope and washer technology much wider.