2018 Walk for Clean Water
We Walk So They Don't.
A simple yet powerful mission.
We empower and equip students across the country to give
clean water to communities around the world.
We are a joyful rebellion.
We are youth leading youth.
We rally together our towns, cities, schools.
We galvanize our friends, families, and neighbors.
We awaken and activate ourselves to the reality that is the global water crisis.
We Walk for Clean Water.
Our Impact
Over $156,000
RAISED SINCE 2016
13
CLEAN
WATER
WELLS FUNDED
OF ALL DONATIONS
DIRECTLY FUND CLEAN WATER
PROJECTS
100%
OVER
6,000
PEOPLE GIVEN CLEAN WATER
FOR LIFE
The Global Water Crisis
Why We Walk
You won't hear about it on the nightly news. It won't be in the headlines. But in 2019, 663 million people still don't have access to clean water. It likely won't you next topic of conversation over dinner, but it needs to be. 1 in 9 people can't just turn on their sink to an endless supply of water. They have to walk. They walk an average of 3.75 miles, one way, every day. As they walk, they lug multiple jerrycans to hold water, 44 pounds each when filled. Hauling this heavy weight has led to spinal deformities and spontaneous miscarriages. This hours-long walk prevents women from getting jobs. It keeps children out of the classroom. And, the water they will reach? We wouldn't even want to touch it, let alone drink it. Cows poop in it. Insects breed in it. It's filthy. And it's deadly. In fact, more children die every year from waterborne illness than AIDS, malaria, and all world violence combined. 2 children have died from waterborne illness since you started reading this. The greatest tragedy of all?
It's all completely preventable.
This is the global water crisis.
A family affair.
This woman in the Swaziland community of Nsimba must
bring her baby with her on the journey to fetch water.
Two hour delay.
The school day of two young boys at Tentele Primary School is interrupted by a 1 mile journey to fetch water.
The Dig.
Unlike many communities that rely on a dirty stream or water source, these women from Sikhebesi must go underground. They wait, sometimes hours, for black liquid to ooze from holes they dig. That is their "water."
The Good News?
We Are Ending The Crisis
A simple but powerful solution:
The clean water well
In many areas affected by the global water crisis, the problem isn't that there's no water. In fact, it's usually right under the ground. However, many communities have no way to access it.
Hand pump freshwater wells are an essential long-term solution to solving the water crisis. They're not flashy. There's no gimmicks or complicated technology involved. Clean water wells rely on a simple, commonsense approach that supplies millions with fresh, clean water every day.
Working with communities, local drillers with huge rigs are hired to drill 200 to 300 feet deep into the ground, tapping into existing water tables. Through this process, communities work together with contractors to build fresh-water wells that draw up safe, protected water.
Why clean water wells?
Sustainability
Hand pump freshwater wells are essentially self-sufficient. This is a huge deal because they don't rely on external power, unreliable solar panels, or costly fuel sources to provide people with clean water.
Community-centered
Well on our way
In 2008, 1.1 billion people lacked access to safe, clean drinking water.
Today, 663 million people lack access to safe, clean drinking water.
Long-term solutions
Communities are truly at the heart of each freshwater well constructed. Community members are trained to maintain and repair wells themselves for years to come. Built by the same people who will use them, wells become rooted in communities who protect and preserve them for future generations.
If properly maintained, wells we fund will last 40+ years.
The Impact of Clean Water
Giving water means giving life
When communities get access to clean water, it affects every aspect of life...
disease
rates drop
88%
overnight
education
children use time to go to school instead of collecting water
food security
communities can grow local agriculture and better raise livestock
clean water allows communities to break the cycle of poverty
overnight
90%
child mortality
rates drop
economic
growth
women are able to join the workforce instead of walking for water
Our amazing partner:
Thirst Project
Using amazing to describe Thirst Project is an understatement. They're our parent org, our world changing friends, and a leading force in fighting the global water crisis. They activate hundreds of thousands of students in schools across the country, educating them about the water crisis.
Thirst Project builds water projects in many areas around the world. One of those places is the small south African nation of Swaziland, where they've pledged to give everyone in the country clean water by 2022. Crazy right?
There's many reasons, but we love Thirst Project for 2 big ones.
First, they use 100% of every donation for clean water projects.
This means every single penny raised by students gives people clean water. Second, they don't just take your money and run. They keep you involved every step of the way. When you raise enough money to fully fund your own well, you'll get to choose the community it gets built in. Once completed, you'll get a personalized thank you video, pictures of the well in action, and GPS coordinates so the community you helped give life will always be a part of yours. That's what Thirst Project is all about.