Race for Water: Run, walk, or bike for a cause

Story by

In honor of World Water Day, Waves For Water (W4W) Philippines is launching Race For Water, a run-and-ride fundraising experience that lets fitness enthusiasts do what they love while raising awareness for access to clean water.

“According to the UN, women in Africa and Asia walk [an average of] six kilometers to collect water, while carrying at least one 20-liter jug,” said W4W Country Director Jenica Dizon. “That’s so hard to fathom for someone like me who grew up… with access to running water and flushing toilets 24/7.”

‍

A group of indigenous women and children bring jugs and buckets to fetch fresh water

‍

Race for Water aims to help close that distance by bringing potable water sources closer to the community.

Where does the race come in? From March 01 to April 15, registered participants can run, walk, or bike to hit their personal distance targets, which each have monetary equivalents. The proceeds earned from the race will then be used to build a water system in Porac, Pampanga, providing an upland Aeta community with clean water sources within a few meters from their homes.

For every kilometer traveled by the race’s participants, W4W will also make one liter of water accessible to a community by distributing water filtration systems in areas in need.

Worried about joining a race in the middle of the pandemic? To make sure riders and runners can participate safely, you log your progress individually by registering through the Takbo.ph app.

‍

A remote community watches as Waves For Water demonstrates how to use their filtration system

‍

Founded in 2009 by pro surfer Jon Rose, Waves For Water is a humanitarian aid organization that works with remote communities around the world to provide access to clean water. To date, they’ve worked with community leaders to implement 10,645 water filtration systems in remote areas in over 56 provinces around the Philippines.

Race For Water is open to participants worldwide, though raffle prizes can only be claimed by Philippine residents. For more information, visit the Race For Water fundraising page or follow @race4water and @wavesforwaterphilippines on Instagram.

It isn’t a mystery why this organization has attracted the type of people it has attracted: travelers, adventure-seekers, creatives eager to find purpose in their work, folks who normally were already setting aside the time to head out of town anyway. There is a stereotype of the volunteer experience that Waves would like to chip away at: this idea that humanitarianism, volunteerism, had to involve some element of suffering, of intense sacrifice on the part of the volunteer; that the seriousness of the work and the enjoyment of the journey is mutually exclusive. To learn more about Waves For Water, check out our story on how they’re reshaping the volunteerism experience: Making Waves, written by Fruhlein Econar with photos by Artu Nepomuceno.

‍