5K Event In Essex County Will Raise Funds To Build Wells In Africa

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An Essex County-based nonprofit will hold its second annual charity 5K walkathon this weekend to benefit its “Fountains of Hope” project, which reconstructs abandoned water wells in Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria.

Embrace Relief will hold its 2023 walkathon on Sunday, May 21 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Organizers said the 5K will be a fun, family-friendly event that will run from about 8:30 a.m. to noon. All registration costs will go directly towards rebuilding these wells. Learn more or make a donation here.

According to the event website:

“If you were thirsty and needed a glass of water, how far would you walk for it? Around the world, millions of people in Africa walk an average of six kilometers every single day just to collect their daily drinking water. And unlike in the U.S., the water collected in Africa often comes from unprotected rivers, lakes, ponds and watering holes. It can carry the waterborne diseases which are among the leading causes of illness and death in Africa – especially among children. It’s an unimaginable crisis for millions. But what if you could walk for clean water so that our friends in Africa won’t have to?”

The project has built and reconstructed more than 760 water wells in Africa to date, according to Embrace Relief, which is based in Fairfield.

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