6 km for 8 Glasses of Water a Day

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6 km for 8 Glasses of Water a Day


You have probably heard the advice to drink 8 glasses of water every day, but if it takes time and physical strength to walk 6 kilometres to get the water, would you still consider doing it?

6 kilometres is equivalent to travelling to and from Argyle Street in Mong Kok to the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, or a return trip from Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. In addition to the walking, you also need to carry a full bucket of water on the way back. In Hong Kong, we are accustomed to having taps at home that provide clean water, while water and beverages are readily available for purchase on the streets. However, 2.2 billion people around the world still do not have access to a safe supply of drinking water. More than 700 million of these individuals lack basic access to water, with over half of them residing in sub-Saharan Africa. Many children in these regions have no right to choose at all. They have to walk about 6 kilometres every day to collect water. Not only do they miss out on learning opportunities, they are also more likely to be attacked or put in danger. Is this the childhood they deserve?

The world shares less than 1 cup of fresh water

Assuming that 100 cups are used to represent all the water in the world, only 2.5 of these cups would be fresh water. However, a portion of the fresh water is trapped in icebergs at the North and South Poles. The actual amount of fresh water available for drinking accounts for less than 1% of the world's water. In other words, everyone in the world is sharing less than one cup of fresh water, and water shortages are expected to intensify due to global warming – a result of climate change.

Globally, about 10% of people live in areas with high or severe water stress. At the current rate, the world will not achieve sustainable water management until at least 2049. This ongoing issue will not only continue to affect the water supply and food production, but will also threaten the safety of various regions and seriously impact the healthy growth of children. The lack of clean water means more than just an absence of drinking water; it will also lead to other long-term consequences, including:

Health and Hygiene: The lack of clean water severely affects the hygienic conditions for children. Drinking contaminated water can be extremely harmful to their health, making them more susceptible to diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis, which can sometimes be fatal.

Safety and Education Opportunities: If there is no water at home, it is natural to spend time going out to fetch water, and the responsibility often falls on women and children. The journey to collect water can be several kilometres long, and each round trip often takes an hour or two. Besides being dangerous, the journey also takes up a significant amount of time and energy, depriving children of their opportunity to attend school and receive education.

Livelihoods and Environment: Many people in impoverished communities rely on farming or animal husbandry for their livelihoods, both of which require a stable water supply. In areas where water is scarce, conflicts may arise between ethnic groups over these vital resources. Such disputes can be destructive, further compromising the conditions in which children grow up.

World Vision’s WASH projects

In 2015, World Vision and its partners committed to providing clean drinking water to 50 million people by 2030. This initiative aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure water and sanitation for all while managing resources sustainably. To maintain our commitment, we have established several goals. From 2016 to 2022, we successfully provided clean water to 25.5 million people worldwide, surpassing our initial target. Our current objective is to reach an additional 30 million people between 2023 and 2030. On average, World Vision helps one person access clean drinking water every 10 seconds, and three schools receive clean drinking water each day as a result of our effort. Our water and sanitation projects encompass water supply, hygiene, and sanitation initiatives.

Supplying Drinking Water: Construct water wells, water pipe systems, water points and other facilities to supply and store clean drinking water for communities, ensuring people have easy access to safe drinking water.

Public Health: Build hygienic toilets, encourage communities to eliminate open defecation habits, and promote proper management of solid and liquid waste.

Personal Hygiene: Build handwashing facilities and promote female hygiene.

In addition, World Vision encourages the public to learn more about the water crisis by organising advocacy activities. We have held "Global 6K for Water" events in many countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Indonesia and Korea. In October 2024, for the first time, three young people who participated in the Famine activities in Hong Kong joined the "Global 6K for Water" event in Korea. They ran 6 km carrying buckets filled with 4 litres of water to experience the hardship and suffering of people without clean water. On December 8, Hong Kong will also hold the first "Global 6K for Water" event to campaign for children who lack clean drinking water.

Today, we can easily choose between running 6 kilometres and having 8 glasses of water. In fact, we can also choose to support children who lack access to clean drinking water!

“School is important, but water is life.”
Aphinety

A Stolen Childhood

Aphinety is an eleven-year-old with dreams as big as the African sky. She's in the fourth grade at Kanimbwa Primary School in Zambia, a place she loves. But going to school is tough because she must find clean water every day.

Every morning, Aphinety gets up before sunrise, with a small lamp lighting her way. She has to hurry to the closest water source, which is about 5.5 kilometres away. She walks through hills carrying an empty bucket. The water source takes a long time to supply water, making her and others wait for hours. Sometimes, they wait for up to 12 hours under the hot sun. The need for water has become a tough challenge.

"School is important, but water is life," Aphinety explains with wisdom beyond her age. "I have to get water first to help my family and then rush to school."

In the early hours, as she walks alone through the wild terrain, Aphinety faces the constant threat of hyenas. Her bravery is nothing short of heroic, all for the sake of getting water.

Education is the key to a brighter future. For Aphinety, the path is tough, but she doesn't give up, no matter how hard it gets.

“Sometimes I feel very bad when I see children of my age going to school and I wish I was also going to school, but when I think of the need for water at home, I have to stay and help,” says Aphinety. "Clean water is not a luxury; it's a basic human right. It's the foundation of life, and we can't thrive without it."
“I feel I have a better life now compared to the life I had before. In future, I want to become a doctor.”
Merci

Clean Water, the Sound of New Dreams

Rwanda is known for its many hills. People in the region had to walk 90 minutes down steep hillsides to reach a water source. “Sometimes I would fall,” says Juvenal. During the rainy season, things were even more difficult. Juvenal would sink into the mud in the darkness, barely able to see what he was doing. “When I was fetching water, I didn't know if it was clean — if it had insects.” he says.

Sometimes 13-year-old Merci would go with her father Juvenal, collecting water before school. It affected her grades. “At school, I didn’t perform well,” she says. “I used to fail in class.” In those days, it was quiet at their home. “We didn’t play with other children,” she says. “We didn’t have the energy.” “My grades were deteriorating, and I knew I could do better.”

In 2022, hope overflowed with a thunderous whoosh. Two water taps were installed just down the road from Juvenal’s house. A few years ago, Merci could only manage to get between 30% and 40% on her exams. Today she is ranked second in a class of 62.

“I feel I have a better life now compared to the life I had before. In future, I want to become a doctor.”

Merci can focus on her study now, as her school has clean drinking water. Before, students were required to bring their own water, a nearly impossible task. And girls faced additional challenges. In the past, a girl would go home when she menstruated, missing school for up to a week. World Vision partnered with the school to create a room for menstruating girls equipped with running water, hygiene supplies, and a bed topped with a soft, cotton quilt. School attendance has increased as a result.

The health clinic next to Merci’s school has also gotten clean water with support from World Vision — and it, too, has been transformed. The health center, which serves more than 20,000 people, including Merci’s family.

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