Relive the fun by checking out event and photo booth pictures at 20liters.org/wfwphotos. And if you weren’t able to attend—considering hosting your own. Our Walk for Water Wherever page will show you how.

Once everyone had checked in, we took some time to remember why we were there. Photos, stats, and videos from 20 Liters website helped set the mood and awaken us to the realities we’ve only ever seen from a distance. Already impacted, we somberly set out across campus to a stream in the middle of a park. One girl carried a stick with 5 milk gallons attached. A 78-year-old woman prepared 4 liters of water in a backpack. A full 20 Liters Jerry Can passed among us, changing hands every 100 yards so everyone had the opportunity to experience what it feels like to carry 44lbs of water for a while. We thought we knew what it’d be like. We never realized entering into the act would be so powerful. The weight of the water, the weight of the issues—it changed us. It moved us. From apathy to empathy. From looking to acting. And even more powerful, was the knowledge that it will also change the lives of those without access to clean water, as well. We raised $900 that day. $400 over our goal, and $900 more than we planned to raise when we’d initially set out to participate in this as solely an experience. That’s 6 filters, which will clean water for up to 24 people for 10 years. Best Saturday morning ever.

Since the war in Rwanda in 1994 she has been taking in orphaned children. The orphans of the genocide are now grown and have left her home. However, her care-giving days of orphaned children are not over.

2 years ago a baby, about 7 months old, was found in the field in front of her house. He was abandoned by his mother because of a disability that has left him with no muscle control. Now three years old, this little one cannot sit, or stand, and he cannot hold his head up by himself. Theresie needs to feed him his meals, bathe him, and carry him each time he is moved.

The widow makes frequent trips down to the swamp to get water for her garden and for drinking. The water is murky, filled with bacteria, worm cysts and parasites. It is the kind of water that makes little ones like the disabled child miserable with stomach aches, diarrhea. He and all children without access to clean water are susceptible to all kinds of water borne diseases.

Sitting on her bench, holding the little boy with filter quietly dripping in the back ground, Theresie expresses deep gratitude for her filter. Although this child and this grandma face almost impossible challenges in the future, because of having a filter, clean safe drinking water is not one of them.

Bernadithe’s home is high on the ridge above the Nyabarongo river in a village named Cyeru.  She and her daughter plant crops in the valley near the river. They bring water home from the swamp area around the river for drinking. Before she had a filter Berenadithe never boiled her water. Diarrhea, stomach pains and “flu” were her constant companions.

The Masaka Water Team has been intentional in placing filters in the homes of the most vulnerable, focusing this year on homes near the river where children and the elderly live. The change in health in the community around the Cyeru community has been remarkable.  Families report much improved health since the filters have been introduced. Berenadithe says she no longer struggles with stomach issues and diarrhea.  Filters have changed her life and the life of those who live around her.

However, clean water does not change everything. The Nyabarongo river flooded in December. It was not until February that the flood waters began to recede. The people of Cyeru lost all of their crops. There is fear in Bernadithe’s eyes as she speaks of the flood.  The community is made up of subsistence farmers. Without crops they wonder where they will get food to feed their families in the months ahead. They now have clean water but are wondering if hunger is just around the corner.

So we were pretty excited when local athlete, Ben Merritt, decided to ride his next race, the 30-mile Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Race, for 20 Liters. Motivated by the desire to race for something bigger than a personal record, he started by creating an online fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $150—the cost of one slow-sand filter. Then, he simply shared what he was doing through social media. He described the response like a slow clap—starting slowly, then gradually building to a peak the week before the race. Once the giving started, people seemed to realize that it was ok to give whatever they could. Some gave $5. Some gave $100. Every donation was important, and every one counted. In fact, they counted up to quite a bit more than he ever expected. By the day of the race, $520 had been donated—enough to fund almost 4 water filters.

So what passion of yours could you make about something bigger? Visit our fundraising page for a few simple ways you could turn your next ____ into clean water for the millions without it.

This past Christmas Eve, Pflugerville Community Church, outside of Austin, Texas set $3,400, or one rainwater harvest system, as the goal for their Christmas Eve collection. Each year they select a different organization to support—rotating between a local organization and a global initiative. Throughout December, their community learned more about 20 Liters via videos on our website and looked forward to how they could take part in helping the 1 in 8 people around the world who don’t have access to clean water. When Dec 24 came, a simple video reminded them of what they were supporting and baskets outside of the sanctuary were available for any who would like to donate.

The result—$9,698.97. Almost 3 times their goal, and enough money to fund multiple rainwater harvest systems in Rwanda. It’s amazing what can happen when people come together to bring justice and help those without the most basic of needs.

Want to see what you can do? Check out our fundraising page to start one of your own.

In the meantime, check out some of our great products or consider giving a donation to 20 Liters. Every $10 donation creates access to clean water for 1 person for up to 10 years.

This is a report in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and International Health that assesses the extent and causes of microbiological contamination of household drinking water between source and point-of-use in developing countries.  The study is a systematic meta-analysis of 57 studies measuring bacteria counts for source water and stored water in the home to assess how contamination varied between settings.  The results found were that the bacteriological quality of drinking water significantly declines after collection in many settings. The extent of contamination after water collection varies considerably between settings, but is proportionately greater where faecal and total coliform counts in source water are low.  The report concludes that policies that aim to improve water quality through source improvements may be compromised by post-collection contamination. Safer household water storage and treatment is recommended to prevent this, together with point-of-use water quality monitoring.

View a PDF of this report

Water-related diseases continue to be one of the major health problems globally. An estimated 4 billion cases of diarrhea annually represented 5.7% of the global disease burden in the year 2000 (WHO 2002).

One of the major strategies for tackling this problem is the installation of protected sources such as boreholes, standpipes or wells to provide water of better quality. However, such communal facilities are located some distance from the home, requiring collection and transport from the source and subsequent storage of water within the household. It has frequently been observed that the microbiological quality of water in vessels in the home is lower than that at the source, suggesting that contamination is widespread during collection, transport, storage and drawing of water (Van Zijl 1966; Lindskog & Lindskog 1988). This contamination may lessen the health benefits of water source improvements.

This paper draws together the evidence from all studies of household water contamination between source and point-of-use and identifies how water contamination varies between the different study settings. Reported changes in water quality between source and point-of-use are summarized through a literature review and water quality changes investigated in relation to study design, quality and setting characteristics.

After having a 20 Liters school assembly, 250 students at Walker Charter Elementary in Walker Michigan participated in a Water Walk during Artprize at the Waterprize exhibit. These elementary aged kids raised over $1400 for 20 Liters through a penny war competition.