Portsmouth Water takes on a real-life challenge to change lives in Cambodia

Say hello to your 2016 Water Aid Water Innovators, The Portsmouth Water Kingfishers.

water-aid

Jess, Laura, Rach, Emma, Tanya and Lianne

 

The Portsmouth Water Kingfishers have taken up WaterAid’s challenge to provide some of the poorest Cambodian communities with access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for a brighter future. We are joining teams all over the UK who have registered for the international development charity’s ‘Water Innovators’ programme, now in its second year.

To find out more about Water Innovators 2016 visit www.wateraid.org/uk/waterinnovators

Over the next few months we will be getting our teeth stuck into solving a key problem faced in Cambodia, organising a host of exciting events to raise over £3000 for WaterAid, all whilst pushing ourselves and each other to improve our skills and strengthen our weaknesses.

So far:

  • We have been to London to pitch our business ideas to WaterAid’s “Dragons” and successfully won our £300 seed funding. This will be our starting point for securing our main community event.
  • We held our 1st Portsmouth Water event, a dress down day, and raised an amazing £327, giving us a brilliant start to our campaign!
  • And we are currently preparing for our WaterAid Mountain Challenge on the 11th June, where we have 3 teams from Portsmouth Water embarking on a trip up to the Lake District to help WaterAid have a team on every Wainwright- all 214 of them!

http://www.wateraid.org/uk/get-involved/events/events/wateraid-mountain-challenge-2016

Our main community event that we are in the midst of planning is on the 6th August at Staunton Country Park and will be a day of fun for all the family! There will be a whole host of exciting activities (including inflatables and face painting) for everyone to get involved in, and a touch of Cambodian culture and traditions to see what it’s all about!

And we are solving the Hygiene Challenge which looks at improving hygiene and sanitation in rural Cambodian communities.

  • Around 315,000 children die each year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation. That’s nearly 900 children each day, or one child every two minutes.
  • Washing hands is the most cost effective and easy way to prevent disease.
  • Cambodians face a lack of access to water and effective hygiene behaviour, so to address this, WaterAid Cambodia and their partners are working to develop and promote the LaBobo – a fun and portable handwashing device.

Our challenge is to develop the appeal and design of the LaBobo, based on specific user feedback and material restrictions.

  • For every £1 invested in water and sanitation, an average of £4 is returned in increased productivity.
  • Just £15 can help provide one person with access to safe water.

Please, if you can help us to reach our target of £3000, by giving what you can, you will be helping provide improved sanitation to people who need it, helping to save lives.

You can support us on our justgiving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/portsmouthwaterkingfishers

 

And come along to our Summertime Bonanza at Staunton on Saturday the 6th August,

Advertising and tickets coming soon!