World Water Day: March 22, 2010

Organize a Walk for Water!

This World Water Day, March 22, 2010, you can raise awareness of the global water crisis and raise vital funds for WaterAid's work by organizing a Walk for Water. 

Credit: WaterAid / Jon Spaull

Why Walk for Water?

Across the world millions of women and children walk miles each day in search of water.   Often the water they find is dirty, polluted and hazardous. Unclean water causes diarrheal illnesses such as cholera and dysentery, which kill millions of children every year.

You can help some of the world's poorest communities gain access to safe water and sanitation and improve their hygiene by organizing a World Water Day Walk for Water.

Getting started

1. Plan your route

Here are a few ideas to help you plan your walk:

• Keep it simple – do laps around your school grounds or playing fields.
• Organize your walk as a relay so that different age groups walk your chosen route at different times of day.
• Plan routes for walkers of different abilities so that your event is accessible to all.
• Plan where people can take restroom breaks.
  

2. Recruit some help

• Helpers will need to be there to meet and greet people when they arrive, answer questions and get everyone started on the walk.
  
• You may want to place marshalls at checkpoints along the way to make sure everybody is doing OK and to hand out snack and drinks.
• It is important to have a marshall at road crossings.
• If there are unaccompanied children you could divide the walkers into groups and assign a helper to each group to keep track of everyone.

3. Keep it safe

Making sure the event is safe for all participants and helpers is essential.  Click here to view some safety considerations for sponsored events.

4. Raising funds and publicizing the event

The best way of raising funds is to ask every participant to collect sponsorship money.  This can be collected safely and securely online by setting up FirstGiving personal fundraising pages.

The more you publicize your event, the more support you will get.  Why not put up posters, hand out fliers and contact your local newspapers, radio stations and TV stations?

You can also email us with details of your event and we will list it on our events page. 

After the event

• Remember to thank all your participants and helpers.
• If you collected sponsorship money on the day please bank it and send a check for the amount raised, made payable to WaterAid America, to: WaterAid America, 232 Madison Avenue, Suite 1202, New York, NY 10016
• Let us know about your event.  We'd love to hear your story and receive some photos.  All the best stories will be featured on our website.  All our contact details are here.

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