The Water4 Foundation Launches World Water Day Campaign

Press release (March 14, 2012) — The Water4 Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity based out of Oklahoma City, announced the launch of its campaign for World Water Day, the United Nations-designated international day held annually on March 22. Celebrities such as actress Jennie Garth ("90210"), former Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy have joined in to raise awareness for the campaign, which will kick off today with the opening of the World Water Day Photo Contest, held in partnership with World Vision.

People across the country will have a chance to learn more about the global clean water crisis and Water4’s role in combatting it through a series of initiatives the organization is supporting on and leading up to World Water Day, when co-founder Richard Greenly will be a featured panelist at the UN Headquarters in New York during The Infopoverty World Conference 2012 on March 22. In addition to the photo contest, Water4 will also hold a World Water Day Open House and support the Anabel Reid Run for Water.

“World Water Day is a moment for all of us in the water and sanitation sector to join forces and highlight the progress being made, as well as reaffirm our commitment to the work that remains to be done,” said Greenly. “By bringing innovative techniques and a business-based approach to our projects and partners in places like Togo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Haiti, we’ve made significant strides toward helping to address the world’s water crisis.”

Starting in 1993, World Water Day has focused attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. One in eight people across the globe lack access to clean water and 4,100 children die each day from problems related to unclean drinking water, making the issue one of the world’s leading humanitarian crises. Furthermore, drought still ranks as the single most common cause of severe food shortages in developing countries.