Walk for Water
Walk for Water is an annual charity fundraiser sponsored by 20 Liters. 20 Liters is an organization that "creates and delivers innovative, human-centered solutions to make clean, safe drinking water for the areas of the world that need it most."
About 20 Liters
From 20 Liters: "Nearly 800 million people—that’s a hard number to fathom. It’s equally hard to put the problem in perspective when we don’t encounter it in day-to-day life.
For us, the problem became very real during a conversation with church leaders in Masaka, Rwanda. There, in June of 2008, 500 people died from a cholera outbreak due to contaminated water. When we asked what the greatest needs were, it was no surprise—clean water topped the list.
From that moment on, we set out to make clean water a reality—20 Liters at a time—in one of the world’s most underserved areas: Sub-Saharan Africa. To do this, we developed a partnership with World Relief Rwanda, leveraging their expertise at mobilizing local churches and teaching water hygiene to school-aged children. We also developed solutions specifically for those along the Nyabarongo River. And we developed methods to empower locals to be the ones leading the change."
Why 'Walk for Water?'
If you’re passionate about creating access to clean water for those without it, you can help by doing something you do every day—walking.
What started as a small event in Zeeland, Michigan is slowly expanding into large Walk for Waters around the Midwest. Click HERE for information on upcoming Walk for Water events, or to simply get information on making a donation. 20 Liters is always looking to get new Walk for Water events up and running, so you can also sign up to organize a Walk in your area!
Why We Can NEVER Take Water for Granted
In many parts of the world, people drink water from a muddy, unsafe source like a river, swamp, or even a mud puddle. More often than not, they have no other choice. As a result, waterborne diseases are the leading cause of death globally for children under the age of five, and half the patients in the world’s hospitals are suffering from diseases related to unsafe water. Yes, you read that correctly. Here are some other facts that make a dirty problem very clear.
Disease Impact:
- Dirty water kills more people than all forms of violence including war.
- Diarrhea kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined and remains in the second leading cause of death among children under five globally.
- Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.
- 100,000–120,000 deaths are due to cholera every year*
- Diarrhea results in one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year is due to diarrhea.
Collecting Water:
- A 20-liter jerry can is a common item millions of people in the developing world use to collect, transport, and store their water.
- A full 20-liter jerry can of water weighs 44 pounds.
- Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources.
Water Usage:
- 20 liters/day from a source within 1 kilometer of the household is deemed sufficient, according to the World Health Organization, as the minimum requirement per person per day for adequate drinking and personal hygiene
- If you include bathing and laundry needs, the threshold would be about 50 liters/day.
- People in Rwanda average just 5 liters a day compared to the United States at 575 liters per day—roughly 29 jerry cans.
* World Health Organization Fact Sheet July 2012
Join 20 Liters in helping make the world a little better place for those in need around the world. It's as easy as taking a walk.
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