Hi guys, so this coming June, I will be taking part in the WaterAid Mountain Challenge together with my coursemates from Oxford to climb the Great Hangman in Devon, England. There are a few reasons why I chose to join this particular event. 

First, being on the MSc Water Science, Policy and Management course for the past few months has been particularly eye opening for me to the many water problems that people face across the world. 783 million still currently do not have access to safe drinking water. This not only has implications on health (e.g. drinking polluted water/ not having enough water to wash), but it often also means that people (mostly women and children) have to trek further to find alternative sources of water and end up not having time to go to school or work. So I really do support WaterAid's approach of working with local communities to help build their capacities and empower them to bring greater water access and sanitation to the people. 

Second, for this particular challenge, the funds will particularly be donated to help the work in Nepal, which has just been hit by a terrible earthquake. WaterAid already has a very long history (20 years) of working in both the rural and urban areas of Nepal. 

Finally, the greatest factor influencing my decision to take part in this challenge is due to the recent passing of my supervisor, Professor Mike Edmunds. The first field trip we went on with Mike was in the South of England as well and I hope to walk up the Great Hangman in memory of him. The funds collected for this challenge will also be donated under his name. 

So yes, please support me for this event! I do not usually take part in such fundraising events unless I can really find a strong connection to it and I think this MountainAid Challenge really does speak to my heart. Every little bit helps :) THANK YOU

Best wishes, Joon 

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If you'd like to find out how your donation will help WaterAid Nepal visit here: http://www.wateraid.org/np/what-we-do/our-approach