KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 16, 2012) – One in eight people—884 million worldwide—lacks access to safe water. Because of this, 1.8 million children die each year from diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
Grundfos presented an opportunity to change that. In partnership with Water Missions International and the Kansas City Royals, Grundfos hosted a Walk for Water to raise awareness of the global water crisis. About 150 people participated in the June 16 event, raising a total of $47,000 to fund a water treatment system in Haiti. The system will feature Grundfos’ innovative LIFELINK technology, a new model for sustainable water supply in the developing world.
The Walk for Water is a non-competitive, educational event that puts participants in the shoes of those who walk almost four miles per day to provide their families with what is often contaminated water.
“Although we can never say we have walked a day in their shoes,” said participant Kim McClellan, “it is painful to think about what they are faced with on a daily basis after experiencing the Walk for Water with Water.”
Halfway through our 3.5-mile walk, participants filled buckets with water, simulating the true burden of life in a developing nation. Together, the participants carried approximately 100 gallons of water – the amount that the average American uses daily.
“Now when I turn on the faucet, I can't help but think about the struggles that people are facing around the world to get clean water,” said Jes Munk Hansen, president of Grundfos North America. “My sore shoulders the next day reminded me that carrying a large bucket of water for three and half miles is no easy task for an adult and especially not for a child.”
The 2012 Kansas City Walk for Water was sponsored by Grundfos, The Kansas City Royals, Morgan Hunter Corporate Search, Pump & Power, Associated Equipment Sales, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLC, Chick-fil-A at Ward Parkway, Reece & Nichols, P1 Group Inc., Austin Nichols, Mid-America Pump, and The Leadership Forum.
Grundfos provides advanced pump solutions in water technology. It serves the residential, commercial building and process industry markets, as well as the water supply and water treatment industries. Founded in 1945 in Bjerringbro, Denmark, Grundfos is a worldwide enterprise that employs 17,000 people in 84 countries. Its North American headquarters are located in Olathe, Kan. It contributes to global sustainability by pioneering technologies that improve quality of life for people and care for the planet.
Water Missions International is a nonprofit Christian Engineering Ministry with headquarters in Charleston, S.C. Its engineers, staff and volunteers design and provide sustainable, safe water solutions to disaster victims worldwide and people in 49 developing countries. Since 2001, Water Missions International has responded to the world's largest natural disasters and daily tackles the world’s single biggest cause of illness - lack of safe water and adequate sanitation (U.N. Report, 2005) by providing safe water to more than two million people. Water Missions International has received Charity Navigator's top rating five years in a row.