Laura Bush and " Play Pumps"

[RestoreGore]

What Works

Well, this is an idea that at least gets water to people for now, which of course, is good. However, isn't it really an exploitation of children? Just because they live in poverty do they not warrant having the ability to walk into their homes and turn on a faucet for their water like American children do? You mean to tell me that these companies providing these "merry-go round pumps" don't have the capacity to then put more towards giving them quality water systems that can deliver water straight to their homes? In the 21st Century this isn't possible?

Laura Bush Announces Program At Clinton Initiative

And of course, because it is cheap and can get someone a high profile, Laura Bush announced a program regarding it at the Clinton Initiative this week. Unfortunately, it looks as though she didn't say that these children in Africa deserve to have the same access to water children in more priviledged countries have, especially countries like this that WASTE more than they use. How do these children also learn the tools necessary to provide for themselves? This type of activity just keeps them beholding to other entities such as the WORLD BANK.

I really do not mean to be negative here, but there are also other factors that I believe must be considered. What happens in these Sub-Saharan areas when there isn't enough water to pump through these merry go rounds because of drought? How then do they get water? What happens should these children become ill and cannot play? How then do they get water?

While it is an idea that at least alleviates the drudgery of collecting water, it is still collecting water only by deceptive means. Grants should also be used for educational purposes to teach these children how to survive in their countries should pumps become unusable due to extreme drought, climate change, or other factors.

Although seeing their smiling faces is uplifting, the stain of poverty will remain on them pumps or not unless they are given a real chance to learn how to sustain themselves and again, they deserve to have water pumped right to their homes through faucets.

The fact that companies and politicians only use this to get props for themselves instead of really calling for what it takes to do this right, shows to me an underlying motive to it all. And yes, while I believe it is good it is said that they are getting safer water, perhaps one day the children of Africa will truly be looked upon as worthy of getting their water as American children do, and not needing to be exploited to get it.

Drought and Famine In Africa

Does Laura Bush and Bill Clinton also think the children dying of famine feel like then having to get on a "merry-go-round" to pump the water they need to live? This is just another "rich man's make himself feel good" project. Give the people the tools they need to become independent of the World Bank and other entities, then you are doing something. And Laura Bush, push your illegitimately elected torture loving husband to enact legislation that brings down the very human induced greenhouse gases that contribute to the droughts that are killing these people if you care so much, instead of doing these touchy feely speeches in your Armani suits and Gucci pumps.

[5X]

1. Give me a break, this is a wonderful program...

just because laura jumps on the bandwagon, or merry ground so to speak,
is no reason to trash the program.

[RestoreGore]

2. Then care to address my concerns?

And I am not trashing it, and as a matter of fact claimed I think it is good to see people getting water, I believe however we shouldn't need to use children to do it. I'm giving an opinion, and it isn't because Laura Bush signed onto it. I also mentioned Bill Clinton here, so you give me a break. Answer my concerns about it then and the fact that in essence it really doesn't teach children how to be self sufficient. If it does, prove it. Or are you only saying it's wonderful because she announced it at Bill Clinton's initiative? I could turn the tables, no? Are you then saying these children don't deserve to be able to have water piped into their homes? Because that is the crux of what I'm saying. I'm saying it is a bandaid, so prove me wrong.

[5X]

3. This program isn't for people that have other options.

This is used in areas where the only water is pumped
daily by hand or gathered from streams.
A pump is put in that pumps clean ground water to a
holding tank, where it is possible to feed the water
through pipeline systems, just because the children do
the pumping, through their natural activity, does not
make them exploited or downtrodden.

Have you actually looked into the program and how it works?

[RestoreGore]

5. That's your opinion

I see it as exploitation. Companies and the World Bank can install these and use child labor at no cost to make a big profit. I also see it as raising another generation to depend on the World Bank and other entities to give them what they need, instead of teaching them the skills on their own they will need to survive once they outgrow merry go rounds. Again, if the water can be pumped to a holding tank and pipeline systems, why can't it be pumped into homes? And yes I read about it, why do think I wrote this?

[5X]

7. As I thought, you didn't read about the program.

"Companies and the World Bank can install these and use child labor at no cost to make a big profit"
this is not run by companies and the world bank and no one is making a profit.

You really have no idea what you are talking about.

[RestoreGore]

8. From the first article

"More than 600 Play-Pumps have been installed to date, benefiting more than 200,000 South Africans, as well as people in Mozambique and Zambia. Funding sources include foundation grants, partners such as the World Bank and UNICEF, and oneTM bottled water, popularized at the Live 8."

[5X]

9. I read the article and that was not in it.

article now won't come up without registration.
But, the world bank is only listed in your example
as a funding partner. This is a non profit.

This is one of the stupidest threads I have
participated in, and I will not reply again
so that it can die its natural death, as it should.

[RestoreGore]

13. World Bank Not Fit To Handle Africa Aid-Says UN

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060921/wl_nm/aid_un_africa_dc

A funding partner that has certain requirements in order to get their money-especially when it comes to water projects. You then obviously don't know how the World Bank works in taking advantage of ideas that may have had good intentions. And this is not a stupid thread, but if you think so, then don't come back to it.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Give me a break, too...

One step at a time here.

We're talking about places with no electricity and don't even have a generator in the village and people are thankful for radios with little hand cranked generators in them.

Huge parts of Africa that aren't plagued with revolution and war are still plagued with absolutely no infrastructure-- no roads, no electricty, no health clinics, no sewers, no piped water, no irrigation...

Maybe there's some flaky PR here, and there is a hell of a lot more to do, but this is one small program among many to make some people's lives a little better. What's to complain about?

[RestoreGore]

6. So sorry to express my opinion

And to care that the lives of these children are made as good as possible NOW, because it is possible. Again, I stated this program was good in that water was getting to people in my FIRST sentence. However, considering that entities such as the World Bank are involved and their track record for giving money for YEARS that doesn't seem to ever bring us to the steps we need to see real improvement in these areas, especially considering the famine in this area that has been all but IGNORED, I think I am very warranted in my opinion that this will not go any further. But don't worry, I won't be so quick to share my opinion here again.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Hey! Lighten up...

we all get trashed around here for some of our opinions. I get it at least once a week.

Doesn't mean you're not on the right track, just that some of us don't think there's a point in complaining about how the impossible isn't being done right now.

[Kali]

10. Hey! I want one.

Nothing wrong with "exploiting" kids. What do you suggest instead? Hauling them to pre-scheduled soccer, martial arts, ballet, piano, and other assorted "play dates"? Yeah, things like that are really improving our culture.

[RestoreGore]

15. Spend the money on educating them

Pumps don't need their legs to work. They need to learn how to use their minds and solutions beyond merry go rounds.

[Kali]

16. uh sorry 24/7 "education" is pretty hard on them too.

kids learn while they play, nothing wrong with producing something (sustainably too!) while they play either.

[RestoreGore]

19. who said 24/7?

I'm talking about using resources to teach them SKILLS to survive.

[hunter]

12. I think overweight American kids need these.

Damn it! Turn off that video game and go play on the merry-go-round! I need to flush the toilet, water the lawn, do the laundry, and wash the car.

Now where the hell did I put that whip? Play you @#$%^&* little freeloaders, I tell you, play!

But seriously, couldn't you put up a solar powered pump instead? Maybe we ought to be mass producing those. No, wait, bad idea. People here in the United States might start buying them, and then who knows what would happen then? A mass anarchy of self-sufficiency might break out! Horrors!

[RestoreGore]

14. I agree

Make the pump work on its own. I'm sure its possible, but so much more convenient in this case to keep these children enamored to the U.S. government so that down the road they fall for the line that we attacked their country to spread "Democracy." And these wouldn't go over big here. People would actually have to move away from their TVs.

[RestoreGore]

17. What advertisements are on these pumps?

Play Pumps
Why do they need ads and other messages on these pumps, and just what types of messages are being placed there?

It also appears that one of the sponsors is Coca-Cola...I wonder how much money they are making from having their products advertized on these pumps, and how much of it they might actually be taking to use to bottle for profit in exchange for their sponsorship. And both the Case Foundation and the MCJ Foundation are aligned with the Bush Administration and were part of their "interfaith" conference this year presided over by Karen Hughes. Hmmm, do those using the water have to pledge their faith as well before being able to use it? I find it hard to believe that any corporation or government entity would sponsor anything like this without expecting anything in return, especially any organization tied to the Bush regime.

Again, it isn't the plan to bring clean water that I object to as my entries on my blog below prove, it is the way it is being done, and what I see as a motivation to exploit it. These pumps could have been built to be powered on solar power or any type of hydraulics system rather than using the children to have to pump for it, with any excess profit going towards educating about conservation and asustainable irrigation methods. To think any of that water they are pumping might be going to Coca Cola's or some other companies's profits instead from behind the scenes to me is just wrong. I'm going to be doing more research on this, unlike those who simply look at the PR of this.


http://water-is-life.blogspot.com

[RestoreGore]

18. No Water, Drink Coke!

http://www.killercoke.org/pdf/no-water.pdf#search='coca%20cola%20exploiting%20ground%20water'