About Us
Why Water?
Water is life, but did you know that around the world nearly 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion are without adequate sanitation facilities? Every day, nearly 5,000 people who share our planet die from water-related illnesses, and the vast majority are children. We have a responsibility to see that everyone has a chance to benefit from life’s most basic need.
90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that a significant amount of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. (source: WHO).
We’re doing something about it
What started as a few friends fulfilling a life-long dream to climb one of the tallest mountains on earth, evolved into our desire to use the experience to raise awareness of the water crisis facing the undeveloped world in a unique and meaningful way.
In the summer of 2011 the original team embarked on their first “climb for water” by traveling to Tanzania in eastern Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Despite freezing temperatures and acute altitude sickness, all members of the team successfully reached the 19,340 foot summit on the morning of September 2, 2011.
The success of that climb exceeded expectations and has prompted the team to want to continue the effort in the years to come. In 2012 the Climb for Water team brought the journey back to the United States where we attempted to climb Pikes Peak in Colorado. On Saturday, September 15, 2012 nineteen of twenty climbers on the team successfully reached the summit at 14,115 feet – one of the highest points in the continental United States. As a result Climb for Water raised more money to help fight the water and sanitation crisis than our previous year.
The Goal
The climbing team has aligned with Water for People, an organization that helps people in developing countries improve the quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources and sanitation facilities.
Our modest goal in 2012 was to raise $14,115 (the same as the elevation of Pikes Peak). That amount alone is enough to change the lives of nearly 1,000 people and bring hope to countless others in the generations who follow. We not only reached our goal but passed it and raised more than $15,500.
Even though we have only recently finished the climb for 2012, we are busy planning our next expedition to Cotopaxi in Ecuador, January 2014. Please click the button below and help us save lives. Even a small amount will make an incredible difference.
