Three young teachers - one British, two Zimbabwean - decided to tackle the problem of contaminated drinking water after three children at their remote school in Zimbabwe died. They designed the Elephant Pump - based on an ancient Chinese technology, using a rope and recycled plastic discs and costing less than a tenth of the more sophisticated pumps installed by aid efforts. It provides each child with clean water for life for less than a dollar. Almost all of those installed so far are still working, while developing countries are littered with broken conventional ones. There are now over 1,200 in Zimbabwe alone - and they are to be spread throughout Africa, with the help of the prize-winner's cheque from the prestigious St Andrews Prize for the Environment.

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