How you can help bring clean water to African homes

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - In Africa, it's estimated that a collective 40 Billion hours a year are spent collecting water at a well, then hauling it back home. A non-profit based in Oklahoma city is working to change that. You can help by lacing up your sneakers and joining a charity walk.

"There's no position where it's not painful to carry 40 pounds of water," said Matt Hangen, President & CEO of Water4.

Hangen said that necessity falls on women and young girls in Africa.

"They walk on average, three miles to go get water that they bring back to their homes," said Hangen.

In 2008, Richard Greenly and his wife founded the non-profit, teaching Africans how to drill wells and start businesses. However, he said there's often a detrimental flaw when organizations build wells on the continent.

"The well breaks usually in about a year," said Greenly. "Right now in Africa, as we sit, there's about 400,000 broken wells."

Greenly said usually it's a simple fix, however with limited resources, the wells stay broken for years.

"And who pays for it? Because the well was given to the village, they have no money to repair it then," said Greenly.

So, Water4 changed the plan.

"We drill one deep borehole and from that one borehole, this water well that we drilled, we then treat the water through three stages of filtration," said Hangen. "then we chlorinated the water so that we can send it down. These long pipelines that provide water to entire villages and communities."

It costs families $.03 a day for triple treated water, that's tested weekly, and provides clean water to 2.5 million people.

"Which is a drop in the bucket," said Greenly.

On September 28th, they're hosting the Walk4 Water4 fundraiser at Scissortail park. On the first lap, participants will walk with an empty bucket. On the second lap, they add water.

"Lets you feel the weight of water and really gain empathy," said Hangen.

The funds raised during the walk will be put directly to use. On November 6th, Water4 will travel to Ghana to build more systems.

Greenly and Hangen said the fundraiser is a free family event with live music, bounce houses, and face painting.