Move4WATER Fundraising for water projects
Cycling is known to be great for the environment, health and infrastructural solidarity in big cities like Hamburg, but it can also mean a contribution to more clean drinking water for the people who really need it. With Move4WATER, the non-profit association Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli e. V. collects donations for drinking water projects all over the world.
For this purpose, people are collecting money all over Germany - both in terms of kilometres and euros. The Move4WATER events take place virtually. All participants have one week to run or cycle a route of their choice (either alone or as a team). Afterwards, the completed kilometres can optionally be entered for a comparison of results. Participation is free of charge, but Viva con Agua would be delighted to receive donations after or instead of the sport.
The "all-profit organisation" with headquarters in Hamburg supports numerous water projects around the world and is committed to ensuring that all people have access to drinking water, hygiene facilities and basic sanitation. Vica con Agua generates the money for this support on the one hand with the sale of mineral water, toilet paper and merchandise, and on the other hand through joyful campaigns like Move4WATER.
Move4WATER began as a fundraising run in 2020, when more than 1,500 participants ran over 15,000 kilometres throughout Germany and collected €35,000 in donations. In 2021, there were two events: Run4WATER in March and Ride4WATER in July. Again, the participants rode and ran individually and this time 5,000 runners and 1,700 cyclists collected more than 150,000 € for WASH projects (water, sanitation, hygiene). With professional racing cyclist Rick Zabel, the Ride4WATER even came to the Tour de France.
As part of the "Ride a more beautiful Hamburg" campaign, the Ride4WATER was undertaken as a bicycle tour through St. Pauli and the harbour on 9 July 2021 in bright sunshine, with participants including the single-speed bike Tattoo-Fiete and Viva-con-Agua founder Benjamin Adrion. Tattoo-Fiete is conveniently equipped with a map of St. Pauli, which was engraved on his frame in Hamburg's oldest tattoo parlour. This makes the iconic bike as much a fixture in our city as Viva con Agua.
The Run4WATER in April 2022 was also a great success with over 3,800 runners, almost 30,000 kilometres covered and over 27,000 € raised. This year, the donations went to a drinking water project in Uganda.
If you don't want to wait for the next Move4WATER event, you can start your own fundraising project with Viva con Agua in the meantime. This could be a RUN4WASH fundraising run with your school, university or work colleagues, which can be integrated into sports lessons or after work. Or you can turn events such as a birthday, a wedding, a concert or a sports competition into a fundraising event that is not only fun, but also improves the lives of many people with clean drinking water.
