Three kilometers is the average distance children living in poor conditions must travel to get water.

Students walked this distance Tuesday as UNICEF-KSU hosted its Walk for Water to raise awareness about contaminated water worldwide.

UNICEF-KSU is an on-campus organization created to educate people about global crises. The group provides a voice for those drinking hazardous water and raises funds to help them.

Reshmi Mehta, junior political science major and president of UNICEF-KSU, helped plan and lead the event.

Mehta said participants had the option to donate money for the cause. For each $5 donation, a child will receive clean water to last for 200 days.

“Many children don’t have access to clean water, and some of them don’t have access to any water, so they have to go find it,” Mehta said.

The walk began at 3 p.m. at the new Student Green, proceeded down the Esplanade and looped around Rockwell Hall toward Tri-Towers. After passing Wright Hall, students walked near Manchester Field and back to the Student Center.

Lindsay Wheeler, junior political science major and vice president of UNICEF-KSU, said creating awareness was a key goal.

“Knowing is the first step,” Wheeler said. “4,500 kids die every day from water-related diseases, and we’re fighting to bring those numbers down to zero.”

Khanh Vu, sophomore international relations major and member of UNICEF-KSU, said she’s glad she participated in the walk.

“People like us have clean water, and I just feel like I need to do something to help the children who don’t have it,” Vu said.

Organizations such as Knitting for Those in Need, Political Science Club and Phi Iota Alpha co-sponsored the event.

UNICEF-KSU meets at 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday in Room 307 in the Student Center. It is free to become a member.

UNICEF-KSU is a campus initiative branch of UNICEF.

Contact Caitlin Potts at [email protected].