We walked to the moon and back - over a billion steps!
1 006 761 824 STEPS!
This year's March for Water is over and we did not only reach our goal of 771 million steps, but got so much farther. We walked over ONE BILLION STEPS together! It is an incredible effort that we have all contributed to.
Every day, millions of girls and women all over the world walk for hours in search of water. Water that is dirty and hazardous to drink. We need to change this! We do this through March for Water.
771 million people lack access to clean water today. In 8 cases of 10, the task of retrieving water for the family falls on girls and women, a task that often takes many hours each day.
The daily burden of carrying water results in women not having the time to work and earn their own income, and forces girls to quit school. They get stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty and disease. They don’t get further than to a dirty water hole. We need to change this!
Therefore, WaterAid runs the campaign March for Water every March. March for Water exists to draw attention to the consequences that the water crisis has for girls and women all over the world. When you get involved in March for Water, you become a part of the solution.
To get engaged in March for Water is to do something fun with others – while contributing to a more equal world.
Want to do more?
Why we walk
One million people lack clean water in Nicaragua. That’s 1 out of 5.
Every day the sisters Karen, Coy and Liseth from the village Tasba Pain in Nicaragua had to walk to this river to get water. Water that made them sick because it was so dirty. They had to fetch water many times a day. It took so much time out of their days that they often missed school.
WaterAid has changed this. With the residents’ help we’ve built a small aqueduct by the river. The aqueduct leads the water all the way to the village where it’s cleaned. Thanks to this, the village, the school and the hospital close by now have clean water.
The sisters do no longer have to dedicate hours each day to carrying water. Instead, they can go to school, they can study and gain more power over their lives.
Karen, Cony and Liseth no longer need to wear themselves out to get water. But all over the world, millions of girls and women are still forced to dedicate hours each day to fetch and carry water. The daily burden of carrying water results in women not having the time to work and earn an income, and girls are forced to quit school.
Thank you for walking for clean water. Thank you for walking so that more girls like Karen, Cony and Liseth can go further in life than to a dirty waterhole.
Our partners
We are proud that Weight Watchers Sweden have chosen to stay on as a partner for March for Water this year too. This partnership means that they engage their members to walk for clean water. In addition to WW Weight Watchers, companies like Didriksons, Göta Energi, Nilörn, Xylem and GANT have chosen to support the fight for clean water for more girls and women.
Does your company or organisation also want to get involved in March for Water?
Contact us at: [email protected]
Facts and statistics
- 711 million people lack access to clean water today. That is every tenth person in the world.
- In many countries, a standard jerry can contain 20 litres of water. That means that women must carry 20 kilos of water for long distances, often many times a day.
- In 8 out of 10 households it’s the women and girls that are tasked with fetching water.
- In low-income countries, 45 per cent of the hospital facilities lack access to clean water. Globally the same number is 26 per cent.
- 31 per cent of all schools globally lack clean water. That means that almost 600 million students go to schools that lack clean water.
How does it help?
How does it help women and girls in vulnerable parts of the world that we walk?
When someone registers their steps, it helps to draw attention to how the lack of clean water affects women and girls the worst.
Together we raise awareness about the issue through the campaign March for Water, we encourage people in Sweden to get involved by spreading information and supporting our work through donations or fundraising.
With this support, we can provide more people all over the world with clean water and contribute to a more equal world.
All companies, organisations and schools that are a part of the campaign help us draw attention to the campaign. Through fundraisers or donations, they make sure that we can reach more people with clean water.
How do we work?
How does WaterAid work to make sure that more women receive clean water?
Since girls and women often are especially vulnerable to the consequences of the lack of clean water, toilets, and hygiene, WaterAid’s work to increase access to these things means that their lives and opportunities improve. WaterAid’s work often has a strong focus on toilets, water and hygiene in schools and hospitals to give girls the possibility to study and make sure that women can give birth without risking their lives to infections.
WaterAid actively works to strengthen women’s rights. For example by drilling wells and building toilets, but also by mobilising and educating women. By letting women groups have the responsibility to design, implement and maintain projects, their economic opportunities increase, as well as their independence and influence in society. Therefore, WaterAid’s work to increase access to clean water also contributes to empowering women and improving their ability to get out of poverty.