As many of you know, Kevin and I will be taking part in 29029 Everesting, an ultra endurance challenge where we will be hiking the vertical equivalent of Mount Everest in 36 hours. We’ll be doing this at Whistler Mountain on September 16th & 17th - basically we hike up and take the gondola down 8 times, for a total of 31.2 miles and 29,029 feet of elevation gain (the height of Mount Everest).

We have been training for months, and put in hundreds of miles on the trails in preparation for the event. We’ve trained in the rain, the snow, the mud and the heat - but all of this is by choice. We are choosing to walk - as a way to support our mental, physical and spiritual wellness.

But not everyone has a choice about whether or not they walk. 771 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water. That’s nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide - or twice the population of the United States. The majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. Not only does walking for water keep children out of school or take up time that parents could be using to earn money, but the water often carries diseases that can make everyone sick.

But access to clean water changes everything for a community:

Improved Health
Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. 43% of those deaths are children under five years old. Access to clean water and basic sanitation can save around 16,000 lives every week!

Reduced Poverty
In Africa alone, women spend 40 billion hours a year walking for water. Access to clean water gives communities more time to grow food, earn an income, and go to school - all of which fight poverty.

More Education
Clean water helps keep kids in school, especially girls. Less time collecting water means more time in class. Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay home for a week out of every month.

Empowers Women
Women are responsible for 72% of the water collected in Sub-Saharan Africa. When a community gets water, women and girls get their lives back. They start businesses, improve their homes, and take charge of their own futures.

I want to make my walk up Everest about more than just me reaching a personal goal. I would like to bring clean water to an entire community, so that they no longer have to walk for water. Please consider donating to help me bring clean water in partnership with charity: water! Since 2006, charity: water has been partnering with experienced local organizations who build sustainable, community-owned water projects around the world. They have funded 111,709 water projects serving more than 15 million people in 29 countries and they are on a mission to end the global water crisis. 100% of the money donated will be used to build clean water projects!

Thank you for supporting me in walking so that others don’t have to!

Brooke