Alice O'Reilly

Why I'm taking the plunge

G’day this month I’m doing the Big Spring Swim to raise money for WaterAid but most importantly to raise awareness about water security issues in our backyard and neighbourhood.

A lot of Australians (myself included) are really bloody lucky to have safe access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities 24/7 but this isn’t the reality for many rural and remote Australian communities and our pacific neighbours. A lack of sufficient access leads to a long list of poor health outcomes, gender inequity and social exclusion. Now, as many of you know (and some might deny) we’re facing a climate crisis (think extreme drought, frequent tropical storms, disrupted precipitation patterns etc) so now water scarcity is off and racing! It seems overwhelming because it is, but I’d like to have a crack at raising some money and awareness on what we can do!

So for the month of November I am aiming to swim 20km across 30 days, this number represents the minimum litres per day a person needs to have their hydration, health and hygiene needs met (WHO 2020). It would be fully sick if you could donate some money to WaterAid to support their great projects in our region, but otherwise just follow along for me digitally monologuing about water security! 

Every dollar raised makes a huge difference.

• $30 can build a simple handwashing station to help stop the spread of disease
• $50 can provide a student with clean water at school
• $150 can help to buy a rainwater tank- so a family has clean water close to home

Please support me today.