This Clean Drinking Water post is part of a VIN campaign hosted by Emergen-C®. I am receiving a fee for posting; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. I am in no way affiliated with Emergen-C and I make no claims about Emergen-C as a product or its effectiveness.
Camping is one of my family’s favorite ways to vacation together. Okay, well…my husband and I enjoy camping. We force the teenagers to go because we are cruel and unjust parents who enjoy making their lives miserable. Or so they tell us. Our favorite form of camping is backwoods, primitive camping where you have to carry all your supplies into the woods to your campsite. Having to carry your own food and water makes you really stop to think about whether you really needed that package of cookies, right? We learned to pack lightly, re-wear the same clothes and leave the non-necessities at home. Of course, the good thing about camping with teens is that they are big enough to carry their own gear and put up their own tent. YAY! Less work for me, right? Gear is heavy….and the older I get, the harder it is to carry anything heavier than a cup of coffee!
Table of Contents
40 Pounds of Water. Every day!
It boggles my mind to think that there are women and girls in developing countries that have to carry even more weight than this on a regular basis. Did you know that 663 million people around the world lack access to one of life’s most basic needs: clean and safe drinking water. Since they don’t have a convenient source of water, they have to search for and haul water back to their families. Of course, mainly women and young girls bear the burden of carrying water. They often walk miles every day carrying 40-pound Jerry Cans full of water. As a result, those girls can’t go to school because they are spending most of their day, up to 3 hours, getting water. I cant even get my teens to clean their rooms and these girls are hauling 40 pounds of water to and from their village.
There ARE organizations trying to help solve this problem. charity: water is a non-profit organization that brings clean, safe water to people in developing countries around the world. 100% of public donations go directly to funding sustainable water solutions in areas with the greatest need.
Emergen-C & charity: water Partnership
Access to clean water transforms lives: it improves health, enhances education opportunity, and empowers women in developing countries. Have you ever poured a packet of Emergen-C into a glass of water? We do it quite a bit! Clean drinking water is at the core of the Emergen-C product experience, so the partnership with charity: water is a natural fit for them. Emergen-C has committed to an ongoing partnership with charity: water, through which they will work together to transform lives by bringing clean and safe drinking water to communities throughout Ethiopia. Emergen-C participates in missions like this because they believe that we all have the power to make the world a better place. Since Emergen-C is getting involved, why don’t YOU?
Take The #40Pounds Challenge
I am seriously glad I don’t have to carry 40 pounds of water every day. I’m not sure my back could take it….Occasionally I have to carry 40 pounds of dog food and man, that is not fun! Want to help raise awareness for this important cause? On World Water Day (March 22, 2016) Emergen-C and charity: water are kicking off a consumer challenge to demonstrate the burden that women and young girls have to carry on a daily basis. The #40Pounds Challenge demonstrates the weight of a Jerry Can full of water that women and girls have to carry every day to provide water for their families. And that 40 pounds isn’t just a physical weight. That 40 pounds represents the burden women and girls must carry that holds them back from other opportunities. As long as this weight has to be lifted on a daily basis, women and girls will be held back from education, access to personal care and safety.
#40Pounds for Clean Drinking Water!
Join the cause! By snapping a picture holding 40 pounds of anything found around the house, you can help to “lift the burden” that these women and girls face each day. Upload the photo to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #40Pounds, tag @EmergenC and extend the challenge to friends or family members by tagging them as well.
For every #40Pounds picture uploaded with those hashtags, Emergen-C will donate $5 to charity: water in your name. All of the proceeds will go directly to funding sustainable water solutions in Ethiopia. Visit www.emergenctransforms.com to learn more about how to help lift the burden. Some of the participants’ photos will be featured on this website so everyone can see how you’re contributing!
Will YOU support this clean drinking water initiative?
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.