In America, we take available clean water for granted. But in many places in the world, they don’t have clean water, especially in Africa. Many women and children have to walk miles just to get water for their families’ daily needs.
That’s why over 50,000 people ran in World Vision’s Global 6K for Water on Saturday, May 4. World Vision, the No. 1 provider of clean water in Africa, uses the funds raised from these races to build wells. With Saturday’s race, the charity organization provided clean water for at least 55,000 people in Africa.
I joined my son Cameron and grandson, Cohen, in one of those World Vision races. Relevant Media Group, which Cameron founded, hosted this particular race and ended up raising $6,389. I recorded a “Strang Report” podcast about the event, which you can listen to here or in this article.
World Vision—the No. 1 provider of clean water in Africa—says a donation of $50 will provide one person with clean water for the rest of their life. So Relevant’s race provided water for at least 127 people.
Cohen had his own fundraising page, to which you can still donate for the next several days. His goal was to raise $250, but as of this writing, he has raised $1,654.
After the race ended, I asked Cameron what motivated him to organize the event.
“We’ve been doing this the last few years to raise money for clean water in Africa,” he tells me. “We wanted to help out and raise money, and we knew our audience would get behind it. … The reason it’s a 6K instead of a 5K is that 6 kilometers is the average distance women and children in the developing world have to walk each day for water, so when we run the raise and raise money, they don’t have to do that.”
Cameron tells me many water projects people see and hear about actually trace back to World Vision.
“They’re the ones behind the scenes, digging the wells and working in the communities and helping turn around communities for sustainable development and water,” he says. “When a child has to walk 6 kilometers to get water, they can’t go to school, they can’t do homework, so they’re uneducated. And if we can get clean water in that village, the kids can get educated, the moms can do other things to help the family than having to be gone getting water all day.”
It was a privilege to encourage my grandson in running for such a noble cause. I hope this article inspired you to use what God has given you to bless others—whether that’s hosting or participating in a Race for Water, donating directly to World Vision or another trustworthy Christian charity, or simply giving what you can to those in need in your community. You can visit worldvision6k.org, or if you want to donate to Cohen’s fundraiser, just click here.
Listen to my podcast to hear my son and grandson share their excitement for World Vision’s race and the good it will do in Africa.
