Highlights
- More than 27,000 people in 18 countries joined Global 6k for Water
SEATTLE (May 7, 2017) — More than 27,000 walkers and runners around the world tied up their tennis shoes for a good cause and joined the world’s biggest 6k walk for clean water – World Vision’s Global 6k for Water. On Saturday, May 6, 2017, people from 18 countries around the globe walked and ran 6 kilometers for an extraordinary cause – bringing clean water to children and their families around the world.
“I’ve been working at World Vision for several years, and I’ve never seen anything like the momentum around this event,” said Rusty Funk, the National Director for Team World Vision. “Last year, we had 5,000 participants. This year we had more than five times that many people walk or run to help us bring clean water to children everywhere.”
Every $50 registration fee for the Global 6k for Water provides clean water for one person. The global team raised nearly $1.6 million, and those funds raised will support World Vision’s water programs, bringing clean water to more than 31,000 children around the world.
It’s hard to imagine, but 6 kilometers – or approximately 3.7 miles – is the average distance young women and girls in the developing world walk every day to find water. The time spent walking forces them to miss school and the walk can be dangerous. Often the water they find is dirty, but these families still must drink it because it’s all they have.
“Try to imagine going even one day without water,” added Funk. “You can’t brush your teeth, wash your clothes, bathe, or have a glass of water. It would be awful. And yet it happens every day for millions. That’s why I’m so passionate about this cause. We can bring an end to this crisis – and thanks in part to the Global 6k this year, we have taken another big step forward toward that goal!”
Each day, nearly 1,000 children under age 5 die from diarrhea caused by contaminated water, poor sanitation, and improper hygiene. But thankfully, the number of people without access to clean water is shrinking. Today, nearly ninety percent of the global population has access to clean water, and we believe we can help bring clean water to everyone in part through the Global 6k for Water.
World Vision is the largest nongovernmental (NGO) provider of clean water in the developing world, bringing a new person clean water every 10 seconds as part of our full solution to end poverty. In 2015, World Vision provided access to clean water to 2.3 million people.
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Editor’s note: Race day photos and b-roll are available. Contact Laura Blank ([email protected], 646-245-2496).
Tweet this: 27,000 people in 18 countries launched world’s biggest #6kforWater w @WorldVisionUSA this weekend. Check it out: http://bit.ly/2pQjWtq
About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.