News
Severn Trent aims to help make change with WaterAid
5th October 2016
650 million people are currently living without clean, safe water. Around 900 children are dying everyday day from illnesses caused by dirty water and poor sanitation, and about one in three of the world’s population won’t have access to sufficient sanitation.
To highlight this crisis, Nik McKiernan and Rushy Hayer, two volunteers from Coventry-based Severn Trent, are heading to Mozambique with WaterAid to experience first-hand what life is like to live with these conditions, and to see the positive impact WaterAid has made by bringing clean water and safe sanitation into communities.
The WaterAid group heading to Mozambique will be made up of 12 volunteers, who will embark on a week-long trip, volunteering and helping with local projects.
Nik, a technical development manager from Coventry, said: “I’ve been fundraising for WaterAid since 2006 and recently became a member of the charity’s speakers network. This trip is such a fantastic opportunity to understand first-hand the importance of the work that they do, and to see for myself how it changes lives. We’re planning on going into schools and health centres and will also spend time with the local communities to experience a day in the life of a family to understand the struggles and issues they’re faced with daily.”
WaterAid has teams in 37 countries across the world, working with companies like Severn Trent to improve millions of lives every year by improving access to safe water, toilets and hygiene. Severn Trent’s involvement with WaterAid has supported the charity in reaching 25 million people with clean water since 1981 and 24 million people with toilets since 2004.
Programme manager Rushy Hayer, also from Coventry, said: “For people in these communities, clean water is not as easy as turning the tap on as it is for you or me, they have to travel long distances for water that is often not clean and not safe to drink. Part of the trip for me will be experiencing life without the help of WaterAid and then seeing the changes made with WaterAid’s intervention in bringing clean water into communities.
“This trip will be challenging and I’m prepared to be pushed far out of my comfort zone, but it will be nothing compared to what people in Mozambique are faced with. I’m really looking forward to seeing the positive changes that WaterAid have made which is why I’m so passionate about this amazing, worthwhile charity.”
Nik, 44, and Rushy, 36, fly out on Saturday 15th October and have been raising money for WaterAid ahead of their trip, by taking part in activities such as sky dives and local fetes. Last year Severn Trent staff, partners and customers raised £369,615 for WaterAid. That’s enough to help give almost 25,000 people access to safe, clean water.
Anyone can contribute to Rushy and Nik’s fundraising pages by visiting their blogs, which they will be updating daily throughout their trip, at https://rushyinmozambique.wordpress.com/ and www.nikmck.com.