International Children’s Charity World Vision Urges People To ‘Walk For Water’ In 2022

On World Water Day (Tuesday 22 March) international children’s charity World Vision UK is calling on businesses, churches, schools, and families to sign up for its annual Global 6K for Water.

The event sees teams walking, jogging, scooting, or cycling a six-kilometre route of their choice to support World Vision’s work bringing clean water supplies to communities across the world. World Vision is the largest non-governmental supplier of clean water to lower-income countries.

Water is vital for children to grow up happy and healthy, yet every day, nearly 1,000 children under five dies from diarrhoea because of dirty water, poor sanitation, and unsafe hygiene practices. Meanwhile, many school children are forced to walk an average of 6km a day, over treacherous terrain, to collect water that is likely to be dirty or contaminated. 

It was a project implemented by World Vision that helped provide water to the Nacarôa district, in the Northern Province of Nampula in Mozambique. The water supply means that Gilda and her classmates no longer face a 7km trek to the river for water on their way to the Halaca Primary School.

Nowadays, going to school is a more pleasant experience for Gilda and 662 other students because there is now clean water just a few steps away.

“The water that we brought to school, not only was for washing hands but also to help prepare the school meals that we eat during lunchtime, and also clean the dishes,” says Gilda. 

Teachers from Halaca Primary School also had their share of burdens and challenges because of the lack of water.

“We had to travel 7km to Mecubúri River to wash our clothes and uniforms. Of course, on our way back we refill our gallons so that the next day, at least, we could take a bath,” said Isac Téssiua, school principal.

“Students now come to school on time and don’t skip classes as much as before we had the clean water. In those days they had to make time to get water for themselves and their families”, he explained. 

Last year’s Global 6K Walk for Water saw hundreds of people taking part, including a group of 20 churches in Carlisle and a team of staff from Aylesbury’s Metro Bank.

Registration for this year’s event will open later in the year. Email friends@worldvision.org.uk with any inquiries/to register your interest.

Written by: Jo Duckles