Hundreds of people will skip showers to raise funds for clean water projects in East Africa.
AUSTIN, TX – March 1, 2022 — Well Aware, the award-winning international nonprofit, is inviting the public to join its 13th annual Shower Strike, asking participants not to shower starting April 20 until they have reached their personal fundraising goal for clean water projects in East Africa. This year the nonprofit expects to raise over $375,000, which will provide 25,000 people with lasting clean water.
Well Aware’s annual Shower Strike kicks off on Wednesday, April 20, and goes through Tuesday, April 26. Students, musicians, sports teams, celebrities and entire companies from around the world participate in Shower Strike by setting a fundraising goal, and pledging not to take a shower until they reach that goal. This virtual event isn’t just odd, it’s also very effective, having raised close to $2M for water wells in East Africa over the past 14 years, impacting over 170,000 people.
Shower Strike was born as a way to fund Well Aware’s very first water project in 2012 and continues to grow year over year. “Shower Strikers” need nothing to participate. As a matter of fact, some of the best fundraisers for this event have been a group of second graders in Webster City, Iowa, where the majority of the students are on free or reduced lunch. Since their first year of participation in 2012, these remarkable children, now known as The Sunset Stinkers, have raised over $30,000 for Well Aware projects through Shower Strike, providing over 2,000 people with clean water for life.
“Shower Strike started out as a crazy idea with friends and is now changing the world,” said Sarah Evans, founder and CEO of Well Aware. “We were just sitting around brainstorming ideas when someone jokingly said, ‘Let’s not shower until we raise our goal.’ Fourteen years later and we are still doing it!”
Now more than ever clean water initiatives are proving critical in the fight against COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization, more than 750 million people around the world—more than twice the population of the United States—lack access to safe water. Women and children spend an estimated 140 million hours every day collecting water, resulting in $24 billion in lost economic value when they are not able to participate in income-generating work or attend school. In addition to the economic impact, water-related disease is responsible for the death of a child every minute.
As an organization, Well Aware has provided over 300,000 individuals with lasting clean water, while maintaining a 100% success rate, where the industry average is just 40%.
To get involved and learn more about Shower Strike, please visit https://wellawareworld.org/get-involved/shower-strike/.
About Well Aware
Austin-based, international 501(c)3 nonprofit Well Aware builds sustainable clean water systems in East Africa to drive development and empower communities. To date, Well Aware has implemented over 90 projects and provided lasting clean water to more than 300,000 people across Kenya and Tanzania. With their technical expertise and community-driven approach, Well Aware continues to maintain a 100% success rate across all of their water projects — setting a new standard for efficiency and sustainability in the water aid sector.
