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Did you know…?
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More than one billion people, about 20% of the world’s population, remain without access to safe drinking water
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More than 40% of the world’s population does not have access to sanitation facilities
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In developing countries, it is common for water collectors, usually women and girls, to walk over 6 km a day to fetch water
What is WaterCan’s Walk for Water?
Why did we decide to Walk for Water?
Why is access to water and sanitation facilities so important…?
How can I Walk for Water?
How do I raise funds?
How can I organize a Walk for Water in my community?
About World Water Day and the Walk for Water
How can I make a donation on behalf of a walker?
Contact information
What is WaterCan’s Walk for Water?
WaterCan’s Walk for Water encourages Canadians to walk and raise funds to help provide people in eastern Africa with clean water, sanitation facilities and better health. Taking place in communities across Canada; universities, schools, businesses, and community groups organize events of all sizes; and become part of the network of Canadians who care and are taking action.
In order to raise awareness of World Water Day and strengthen WaterCan’s association with World Water Day, all Walk for Water events should occur between the Saturday prior to March 22nd and the Sunday following March 22nd
Why did we decide to Walk for Water?
WaterCan frequently receives inquiries from university chapters, schools, faith-based organizations, community groups, and corporations who would like to plan a fundraising event for WaterCan. These requests stimulated discussions at the WaterCan office as to how we could create a meaningful event that could be replicated at the community level by diverse groups in all regions of the country.
A WaterCan Walk for Water accomplishes several important goals. The model is relatively simple to understand and implement and provides an opportunity for external groups to get involved in the work of WaterCan by raising both funds for and awareness of WaterCan. Practically speaking, this model also allows us to efficiently raise funds for WaterCan while keeping administrative expenses low. Also, a fundraising walk can suit a variety of event sizes, from a handful of people to hundreds of participants. Moreover, the Walk for Water provides a setting where important learning opportunities can be created for participants. For example, the route will have a symbolic connection to the average distance that women and girls have to travel each day to fetch clean water.
Our 20th anniversary seemed like to ideal time to launch this exciting initiative, which we hope will continue to expand and develop for years to come!
Why is access to water and sanitation facilities so important…?
Many families in the developing world have to drink water from streams and rivers or unprotected springs and wells. In the absence of sanitation facilities, these sources often become contaminated and are breeding grounds for disease. The poor – particularly women and girls, are the hardest hit - they are robbed of their health, time and dignity.
Water is life. Safe and affordable drinking water and basic sanitation are fundamental to:
- Achieving good health
- Fighting global poverty
- Achieving universal primary education
- Promoting gender equality
- Reducing child mortality
- Improving maternal health
- Combating major diseases including HIV/Aids.
How can I Walk for Water and raise funds to help provide clean water and better health to people in eastern Africa?
Visit the Walk for Water microsite. Click on new participants to search for a walk location near you. Then follow the step-by-step instructions to register, set up your own personal walk page and begin fundraising!
or Call the WaterCan office to find a walk location near you. We will send you information and a pledge sheet in the mail.
Challenge: It costs $25 to provide one person in eastern Africa with clean water, sanitation and better health. To how many people can you give the gift of water for life?
You can raise funds online (via email) or offline (face to face) or both. WaterCan encourages online donations as they are less administratively expensive than offline methods and provides higher security for donors (money is donated directly to the charity). However, both methods are 100% acceptable.
To raise funds online you must register as a walker on the Walk for Water microsite. You must pick a walk location and provide personal details such as name, address and telephone number. From this microsite you can email friends and family who can then click on a link in the email (contents are automatically generated by WaterCan) and donate to the walk in your name via credit card.
To raise funds offline you can download the pledge form as a word or pdf document and begin collecting pledges. To submit the pledges, bring your completed pledge form and all your collected pledges to the walk site. They will be taken by walk organizers, processed and submitted to WaterCan. If you were unable to collect all your pledges prior to the walk day, you have two options: 1) write a personal cheque for the balance and submit to walk organizers. Pledgers will still receive the tax receipts for their pledges so be sure that you do collect the money from your pledges! 2) After the Walk, collect the pledges, deposit into your account, write and mail a cheque to WaterCan along with a copy of your pledge sheet.
To do both, simply register online and download the pledge form online. You can input your offline pledges through the microsite. Bring your pledge form and pledges to the walk site and submit to walk organizers. Once WaterCan receives your offline pledges they will be confirmed and added to your totals.
How can I organize a Walk for Water in my community?
WaterCan is always looking for motivated volunteers to plan new walks…could that be you?
Contact the WaterCan office - we will provide you with a complete guide to planning a WaterCan Walk for Water event and all the on-going support you need to help make your event a success.
The Walk for Water planning guide is a resource and support tool for Walk for Water organizing committees across Canada. Designed for a broad range of committees including groups from universities, schools, corporations, as well as faith-based and service organizations; and a wide range of walk sizes (from small to large), the guide contains general Walk expectations and policies, outlines various volunteer roles and includes a wide variety of forms, samples and additional resource.
World Water Day and the Walk for Water
Since 1993, the United Nations General Assembly has designated March 22nd of each year as World Water Day in recognition of the importance of water as a basic requirement of life and the need to manage this precious resource wisely. Each year, World Water Day adopts a different theme that emphasizes a particular aspect of water.
In order to raise awareness of World Water Day and strengthen WaterCan’s association with World Water Day, all Walk for Water events should occur between the Saturday prior to March 22nd and the Sunday following March 22nd
How can I make a donation on behalf of a walker?
To make a donation on behalf of a Walk for Water participant, please visit the
Walk for Water microsite.
Contact Information
For questions on the WaterCan Walk for Water, contact:
Danielle MacKenzie
Communications and Events Coordinator
321 Chapel Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 7Z2
613-230-5182, 1-800-370-5658
www.watercan.com
WaterCan is a registered Canadian charity: R/N # 119288934 RR0001