Wello

LOCATION: India

SUMMARY: Wello is a social venture with an ambitious goal: To deliver clean water to a thirsty world. We design and deliver affordable innovations that save time and increase opportunities for people who lack access to water. We design products that people not only need, but want to use.

PROBLEM SPACE: For 1 in 6 people in India, access to water requires hours of walking, waiting in line and heavy lifting of water containers. The time spent fulfilling this basic need keeps many children out of school and prevents women from carrying out all the domestic and income generating work for which they are responsible. Moreover, the traditional method of carrying water – carrying a 5 gallon (20 liter) water bucket on the head–can severely damage the spine, causing severe pain and even leading to complications during childbirth. Looking at all of this we at Wello Water aim to solve the plight of access to potable water by producing the WaterWheel which makes carrying water easier. It frees up valuable time of the women folk and children, and in the process, removes barriers that prevents children from going to school and empowers women to engage in more productive activities. Research shows that when women have extra time, they choose to spend it on activities that boost family income, education, health, and wellbeing and thus resulting in eradicating poverty.

SOLUTION: Designed by Cynthia Koening and Shradha Rao, the WaterWheel pilot project was launched in May 2015, and the first commercial sale of the product took place in the tribal village of Rajasthan. Teaming up with HDFC Bank, Wello Water have made the WaterWheel available to 12 000 more people in the most remote parts of India. By reframing the water crisis as an opportunity, we at Wello have reinvented the wheel and developed an innovative business model that empowers individuals to use the WaterWheel as an income-generating tool to lift their families out of poverty. In a single trip, the Water Wheel is able to carry sufficient water for a family of five. Women spend over 25% of their time each day collecting water. With the WaterWheel, they can now transport 50 litre at once – almost 3 to 5 times more amount of water possible as compared to the traditional methods. We also know that the people who need the WaterWheel the most have the least ability to pay for it. And so we provide these wheels at an affordable price.

CONTACT: [email protected]