You may recall me questioning the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ which saw people donating to charity for the privilege of being doused with icy water – it was meant to be a bucket-load but some used dustbins and industrial tippers instead, in an attempt to outdo everyone else. My concerns were about the waste of water, bearing in mind that people living on vast swathes of our planet don’t have enough to drink, while industries everywhere are striving to reduce the water used in their products and processes – the KBB industry being a fine example of the difference that can be made by those that care enough.

On Monday, the US-based DigDeep charity is launching the second annual ‘4Liters Challenge’ – similar to the Ice Bucket Challenge but superior in every way. This month-long social media campaign, challenges participants to raise $40 in donations and use just four litres of water for an entire 24 hours-worth of drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing, while sharing their funny, difficult or inspiring moments on their social networks. Once done, they earn the right to challenge four friends. The money raised, funds water projects globally.

The goal of 4Liters is to give people new insight into the value of water and the hardships faced by those without… Considering that the average person with access to running water, uses almost 100 times that every day, the challenge will be a difficult one. One previous participant said: "The simplest things like shaving or washing dishes suddenly become so hard. It's amazing how the experience sticks with you after it's over."

Last October, 604 people lived on four litres of water and raised $17,437 to fund clear water projects. I’ve not been able to find out how much the Ice Bucket Challenge raised but I do know that it went viral and that participants were nominating their own pet charities rather than the one the challenge was initially designed to benefit. Let’s make the 4Liters challenge go viral too and if you’d prefer to donate to WaterAid I’m sure the money would be just as welcome! I’m doing my challenge on Monday and will let you know how I get on. If you care to join me, visit: www.4liters.org

www.facebook.com/KBzine 

Yours,

Jan Hobbs