Orange County Residents Lace Up Their Shoes To Build A Well For A Ugandan Orphanage

TUSTIN, CA, April 06, 2013 (Press-News.org) Orange County residents are lacing up their shoes to be a part of the fourth annual Walk4Water that will take place at Mile Square Regional Park on April 13 from 9 - 11am. This event provides people with the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of children who log countless miles each day to collect dirty drinking water in Uganda. The Walk sponsored by Starbucks and Hurley is a fundraising effort to build a well to provide clean water for a Ugandan orphanage.

"When I heard that most children in Uganda rarely live past the age of five due to the contaminated and unclean water they drink, I was blown away," said Elaine Toth founder of OC Walk4Water who journeyed to Uganda with Hope4Kids International for the first time in 2010. "Seeing the need first-hand made me realize the critical demand for clean water and I have been on a mission to raise money to dig wells in Uganda ever since!"

OC Walk 4 Water is part of a nationwide movement to raise funds to drill wells in impoverished areas of the world through Water4Kids International. Each of these life-saving wells cost $10,150 and according to Uganda native Lydia Natoolo the effort is worth every penny, "One of the most painful memories of my childhood was walking miles in blazing heat, sometimes with no shoes or sandals to fetch water and then carry the heavy jerrican back on my head only to drink dirty water." Natoolo, a Mission Viejo resident who has lived in the U.S. for the past 13 years is joining the movement for the first-time, "To know that 141,000 children die every year in my home country because of water related diseases is just not right. We have the power to change their story through our footsteps."

Each participant is required to pay a $25 registration fee to walk the 4-mile perimeter of Mile Square Regional Park and donations are highly encouraged. Sponsors like Starbucks and Hurley play an instrumental role in the program and share in the organization's mission to invest in clean water for the health and well-being of children in one of the most impoverished areas of the world.

"This walk is an opportunity for each of us who live in a place where we are afforded the luxury of having clean water at our fingertips to make a difference for those who don't," said Toth.

The recipient of the first well is New Hope Orphanage which has become a refuge for children whose parents have passed away from AIDS. The orphanage is located in the Samia Region, Busia District, in the sub county of Dabani in Uganda. Today, there are 400 registered children and ¼ of them live without either parent, and as a result, are homeless.

About OC Walker 4 Water
Walk4Water was started by Gene and Elaine Toth in 2009 in partnership with Water4Kids International. Each well is strategically placed close to primary schools, medical clinics and trading centers and can last up to fifty years. Walk 4 Water - a subsidiary of Hope4Kids International manages the distribution of charitable funds, supervises the drilling operations and dedicates each water source with the local village.