Social Emotional Learning

We’re Loving This Service Learning Project That Inspires Students to Become Global Citizens

Activate students in the fight against the Global Water Crisis.

Sponsored By H2O for Life
Group of students posing for photo at H2O for Life Walk for Water Service Learning Project
By Elizabeth Mulvahill, B.A., Certified Teacher
Aug 29, 2019

Nearly a billion people have no access to clean, safe drinking water. This impacts children in the developing world in devastating ways—from missing school (collecting water consumes nearly half of every day) to disease and death (over 4,500 children each day). That’s why we love H2O for Life’s service learning project Walk for Water, a dynamic community initiative that is far more impactful than a regular 5k run and easy to orchestrate.

How is Walk for Water different than a regular 5k?

During the event, participants walk a 5k, but they do it carrying a gallon of water. Why? In developing countries, the average distance women and girls walk every day to access water is five kilometers. And, get this, they carry more than a gallon of water while doing it—individuals in depressed areas carry an average of five gallons, weighing nearly 42 pounds!

The service learning project has a profound effect not only on the communities in need, but on the students who participate. “At the end of our Walk for Water,” reports one student, “I felt like I could relate to what my peers around the world experience on a daily basis.”

With free lesson plans, easy fundraising tools, and partner schools around the world to choose from, H2O for Life makes it easy.

What teacher resources are available?

The Walk for Water Toolkit clearly outlines how to plan a meaningful and successful event: 

  1. Choose a global project and make a pledge. 
  2. Plan a walk date, location, and route.
  3. Decide how to raise awareness and funds.
  4. Acquire water jugs to use during the walk.

In addition, you’ll also receive access to the A Long Walk to Water Cross-Curricular Learning Guide. It’s perfect for teaching middle school students and features an in-depth reading guide for the Newbery Award–winning novel by Linda Sue Park. It also includes:

  • a cultural impact research project;
  • an engineering challenge to build a better water carrier; and
  • a math challenge to create a better water catchment tank.

Just click the orange button below to learn more and get started.

Yes! I Want to Inspire My Students to Become Global Citizens