Seeing how water is very much readily available to all of us here in Singapore, many of us probably aren’t in the habit of conserving it, or simply take it for granted.

According to the United Nations (UN), 783 million people in the world do not have access to clean water, and 6 to 8 million people die annually from water-related diseases due to disasters.

Held in conjunction with UN World Water day on March 22, the Mercy Relief Segway® Water Challenge, in partnership with Gogreen Holdings, was organised so as to raise awareness on the importance of access to clean water in disaster-stricken areas.

The outreach event in Sentosa saw participants maneuvering themselves across a 5-station obstacle course using Segway® Personal Transporters, with one station requiring them to hop onto the PedalPure, an MR pedal-powered filtration system that converts dirty water into clean drinking water.

Participants having a go at MR’s pedal-powered water filtration systems known as PedalPures.

Participants maneuvre around the obstacle course under the watchful eye of volunteers.

Well-received by over 200 participants, much of the event’s success can be attributed to its huge pool of volunteers who helped out in one way or another in the event preparation and/or the event itself.

I want to help people and I like to volunteer. This is my way of giving back to society,” shared 15-year-old Md. Irzieran Nazreen from Pei Cai Secondary School when asked about why he volunteered at the event.

29-year-old Zhi Han saw his role as a Volunteer Leader go beyond the mere assignment of duties. He said, “It is important for me to ensure that the volunteers feel like they have done something useful, helping them to see that they are not just here to splash water at people or set up cones, but for a bigger purpose.”

Vivianna, a Singapore Polytechnic graduate with a Diploma Plus in Humanitarian Affairs, enjoys the volunteer experience with MR. “You get to engage in different humanitarian focus areas, like the Water and Sanitation Programme, and you also get to meet different kinds of people. It is very good exposure,” she shared.

Interested in volunteering and playing a part in events that are fuelled by a worthy cause, like the Segway® Water Challenge? Look up MR on Facebook for event updates or visit MR’s website to sign-up as a volunteer.

Volunteers from all walks of life came together for the Mercy Relief Segway® Water Challenge

About Mercy Relief

Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance. 

In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,  Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.

For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org

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