WaterAid Australia’s Big Spring Swim is back for 2024, a nationwide swimming event kicking off on November 1.
The event encourages participants to dive into pools, lakes, rivers, or beaches nationwide and raise much-needed funds to help WaterAid Australia provide clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to communities in need.
With Australian athletes' recent success in the Paris Olympics, WaterAid is counting on participants feeling extra enthusiastic to dive in and channel their inner champion for a good cause.
By participating in the event, swimmers will raise vital funds that support WaterAid’s mission of ensuring everyone, everywhere has access to clean, safe water.
The Big Spring Swim is supported by Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Brianna Throssell, who asks Australians to “dive in and go the distance this November and be a part of something amazing!”
Participants can register individually or as part of a team, setting personal swimming challenges to complete throughout November.
Whether swimming in the ocean or a local pool, each effort will contribute to WaterAid Australia's goal of clean water for everyone, everywhere.
Teresa Ayles, Director of Corporate and Community Engagement at WaterAid Australia said The Big Spring Swim is an opportunity for Australians to make a real impact.
“The event is a chance for people to support WaterAid’s life-saving work through something as simple and enjoyable as swimming. By participating, people are not just joining a fun event or staying fit, but actively helping to provide clean water to people who are most in need. Every dollar raised can transform lives.”
WaterAid Australia invites schools, corporations, community groups and individuals to get involved and support this vital cause.
Funds raised from the event will support WaterAid’s initiatives across the globe, helping to transform the lives of millions by ensuring they have access to clean water close to home.
Participants are encouraged to register early, start fundraising and make a splash for change.
To register for the Big Spring Swim 2024 or to support the event, please visit The Big Spring Swim Event Page.
Join us as we swim towards a world where everyone, everywhere has access to clean water.
-ENDS-
Key Facts:
· 703 million people in the world – almost one in ten – don’t have clean water close to home.1
· 2.2 billion people in the world – more than one in four – don’t have safe water.1
· Almost 2 billion people in the world – one in four – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.1
· 1.5 billion people in the world – almost one in five – don’t have a decent toilet of their own.1
· 570 million people in the world – 1 in 14 – have a decent toilet but have to share it with people outside their family. This compromises the privacy, dignity and safety of women and girls.2
· Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That's more than 1000 children a day, or almost one child every one and a half minutes.2
· Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs.3
[1] WHO/UNICEF (2023). Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022: special focus on gender. Available at: washdata.org/reports/jmp-2023-wash-households-launch (accessed 11 Jul 2023).
[2] WHO (2023). Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene: 2019 update. Available at: who.int/publications/i/item/9789240075610 (accessed 24 Jul 2023).
[3] WaterAid (2021). Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery. Available at: washmatters.wateraid.org/publications/mission-critical-invest-water-sanitation-hygiene-healthy-green-recovery (accessed 1 Nov 2023).
About us:
WaterAid is an international not-for-profit determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We work alongside communities in 22 countries to secure these three essentials that transform people’s lives. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and nearly 29 million people with decent toilets.
To find out more visit www.wateraid.org.au follow @wateraidaustralia on Instagram, @WaterAidAus on Twitter, or find WaterAid Australia on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wateraidaustralia
Contact details:
For more information, please contact:
Tegan Dunne
Public Relations and Communications Manager, WaterAid Australia,
E: tegan.dunne@wateraid.org.au
Ph: +61 415 714 589