Walk for Water

Medway Rotary Club’s first ‘Walk for Water’ (W4W) took place on Sunday 5 June 2011. Earlier in the year the club had taken on a commitment to raise funds to support the installation of irrigation in a primary school and three community gardens in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, in an area of that country where HIV/AIDS is prevalent and, as a result, there are many orphaned children. An apt and very descriptive slogan for W4W was created –‘Walk for water so that they don’t have to’, and that may have been one of the factors that persuaded Archbishop Desmond Tutu to become patron of W4W.

On the day some 60 walkers, Rotarians, non-Rotarians, families, friends and several dogs, turned out, some to tackle the more challenging 10km, but most the 8km route, both starting and finishing at the Robin Hood Pub at Bluebell Hill. Most importantly, all were sponsored and they raised in total about £2,400. But the final total will be higher than that, by about 20%, when Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs allows, and refunds, Gift Aid on behalf of those who were tax-payers.

On the same day in KwaZulu Natal, another W4W took place under the direction of Durban Rotary Club – Medway’s partners in the project. The final outcome of everyone’s efforts, physical and fund-raising, and with the help of The Rotary Foundation, is that sufficient funds (about £23,000) are now available to complete the irrigation project and work will begin in January 2012.

W4W 2011 was a great success in funding much needed work in KwaZulu Natal, but there is still a great need to help people in the developing world to have access to fresh water – and there are 900 million of them. So, please make a note in your diary to help by taking part in:

W4W 2012 on Sunday 27 May 2012