Worldwide Water Education

February 8, 2010

Looking for a Project for World Water Day (March 22)?

“Walking for Water” is a school-based program where participating students commit to walking six kilometers (3.73 miles) , carrying six liters (1.59 gallons) of water, to raise funds to finance water projects in developing countries.

Developed in the Netherlands, Walking for Water is a fundraising and awareness concept created by Aqua for All. Participating students are “sponsored” by their friends and family to participate in the walk. Students collect funds in person and through online fundraising tools. In 2009, this program raised more than 1 million Euros ($1.4 million USD) to support clean, safe, drinking water projects.

Live Earth is partnering with this successful program to expand it to a worldwide initiative, reaching students in cities around the world to participate on World Water Day (March 22). Interested schools can sign up via Friends of Live Earth at http://joinliveearth.org/page/s/walking. Once signed up, participants will receive a Walking for Water kit containing all the information and materials needed to organize a walk. The kit will include details/ materials for a classroom presentation to be given prior to the walk and fundraising, connecting the dots for students with the cause behind the activity. Participants will also have access to Live Earth’s online community where they can ask
questions, partake in discussions about the initiative and report how their activity is progressing. Funds raised can be donated to a local non-profit organization working on water projects or a chosen water project at Akvo.org - a site partnering with Live Earth that lists water projects from our NGO partners. Students can follow where their donation goes via Akvo and see their donations turn into clean drinking water. We encourage participants to raise funds for schools in the developing world, and Akvo can support online connections between students raising funds and the projects they support. www.akvo.org/rsr/liveearth

Participating will be incentivized via online recognition and select top fundraisers will be acknowledged on stage at the Dow Live Earth Run for Water events around the world on April 18th.

Goals:

• Engage young people, schools, parents, and the community on water issues around World Water Day (March 22nd).
• Highlight the connection between water and children’s issues/ children’s health.
• Raise funds for NGO beneficiary partners, in particular to allow students to raise funds for school projects in the developing world.

Project Partners include:

• Dow Run for Water Live Earth
• Akvo.org
• The Globe Program
• Project WET
• Aqua for All
• Invisible Children