Matthew Davey
A Mountain to Climb
Fundraising for WaterAid
Story
Climbing a mountain starts with a single step. For the millions of Nepalese people affected by the recent earthquake, one of those first steps to recovering their lives, well-being and their dignity is access to clean water and sanitation. What little water infrastructure existed before the earthquake has been severely damaged - and in a country where half the population lacks access to adequate sanitation, and one in ten don't have access to safe water, this is catastrophic. In emergencies like this, it is crucial to ensure that safe water is available and human waste is safely disposed of. Without these facilities, outbreaks of diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid will make the situation much worse.
For those who know me, mountains and water are both close to my heart! As part of WaterAid's Mountain Challenge on the 6th of June, my team is taking on The Great Hangman - England's highest sea-cliff! The challenge is a fundraiser for the charity’s continuous work in Nepal, and especially for their disaster relief work. My team consists of my fellow students and professors from the Water Science, Policy and Management Masters course that I am currently completing at Oxford.
As a group, we are dedicating our trek to Dr. Mike Edmunds, one of our beloved professors who recently and unexpectedly passed away. Mike was a global leader in groundwater quality and hydrogeochemical processes especially in the arid regions of the world, and he was an inspiration to everyone he met and lectured. His boundless passion and energy for water and geology was evident in all his work - his favourite phrase in class was, "It's all about the rocks!".
This is where you come in! In order to reach our fundraising goal, we need to collectively raise £1000. This will certainly make a direct and important contribution to the recovery efforts in Nepal, and it would definitely have been a cause Mike would have supported. Every small contribution will be immensely appreciated and impactful. Thank you for all of your support!
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Your donations will contribute to WaterAid's work such as this: