Walk2Water
A free, 90-minute in-school experience that helps students understand and feel the reality of the global water crisis.
No cost to your school
A presentation and two hands-on activities
Primary and secondary, all ages
What is Walk2Water?
Walk2Water is a free, interactive education event for schools, run by the charity Time to Help (UK). In just 90 minutes, students go from learning the facts about global water scarcity to genuinely feeling why it matters, through storytelling, hands-on activities, and an immersive 360° virtual reality experience.
Why schools love it
- Free to host – there is no cost to your school
- 90 minutes, split between a presentation and two hands-on activities
- Suitable for all ages – content is adapted for the age group in the room
- Delivered by trained, DBS-checked staff
- Fully flexible around your school's own policies on safeguarding, photography and data
2 billion people
Right now, around 2 billion people – 1 in 4 people worldwide – don't have access to safe, clean water.
In many communities, it’s children who walk hours each day just to collect it, often carrying loads far heavier than they should. Walk2Water brings that reality into the classroom, and turns it into empathy, awareness, and action.
Who is Walk2Water for?
Primary and secondary schools
Looking for an engaging, ready-made assembly or classroom session on global citizenship, sustainability, or geography.
Teachers
Who want a memorable way to bring a real-world issue to life, without needing to prepare the content themselves.
Parents
Who think their child's school would benefit, and want to suggest it.
Universities, youth groups and community organisations
Who'd like a version of the session outside a school setting.
Walk2Water is not a fundraising visit.
We come to educate and nothing more is asked of your school. If your students want to take the next step and fundraise afterwards, we're always glad to support that, but it's entirely optional and led by you.
What happens during the 90 minutes?
The session opens with a short welcome and the interactive presentation, after which the jerry can rally and VR experience run as two parallel stations, with students rotating between them in small groups.
- 20–30 minutes
Interactive presentation
A multimedia presentation introduces students to how much water we use every day, and then tells the real story of a young girl who walks six kilometres each morning just to fetch water for her family before school. It’s a powerful way to build empathy, using facts, storytelling and real footage.
- Hands-on activity
The jerry can rally
Students get a small, safe taste of what that daily walk involves by carrying a water-filled jerry can over a short distance. Weights are carefully adjusted for each age group, and no one is ever made to take part.
- Hands-on activity
The 360° VR experience
Using VR headsets, students can look around and experience, first-hand, footage of the daily reality of water collection and climate change in African communities. A genuinely immersive way to bring the topic to life.
Step inside the VR experience
This official video from Time to Help (UK) gives a preview of the VR experience students explore through the headsets.
- 2 min 17 sec
- Watch on YouTube
Curriculum links and the UN Global Goals
Walk2Water is built to slot straight into what schools are already teaching. It gives students a first-hand, memorable way into some of the biggest issues facing the world today, and ties neatly into whole-school priorities like global citizenship weeks, eco-schools work, and Rights Respecting Schools status.
Classes and subjects it supports
Geography
The water cycle, water scarcity, development, climate change and sustainability.
Citizenship, PSHE and RSE
Global citizenship, empathy, human rights and social responsibility.
Religious Education
Ethics, charity, compassion and global inequality.
Science
Water, health and hygiene, and how environment shapes daily life.
English and personal development
Storytelling, oracy and reflective writing following the visit.
Assemblies and enrichment days
Tutor time, wellbeing weeks and whole-school assemblies.
Topics covered
- The global water crisis and water scarcity
- Access to clean water and sanitation
- Climate change
- Gender and education
- Poverty and inequality
- Empathy and perspective-taking
- Global citizenship
- Sustainable development
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Walk2Water directly supports these UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
1 No Poverty
Understanding how the water crisis links to poverty and daily survival.
3 Good Health and Well-being
The health impact of unsafe water and long walks to collect it.
4 Quality Education
Children who spend hours fetching water miss out on schooling.
5 Gender Equality
It is disproportionately girls and women who carry the burden of water collection.
6 Clean Water and Sanitation
The central theme of the whole session.
10 Reduced Inequalities
Exploring global inequality in access to basic resources.
13 Climate Action
The VR experience shows climate change affecting water access first-hand.
17 Partnerships for the Goals
Schools, students and Time to Help (UK) working together towards a shared goal.
Host Walk2Water in 5 easy steps
It can be tricky to know where to start, so here’s a simple step-by-step guide.
Get in touch
Email us at asude@timetohelp.org.uk or ask a parent or student to raise it with a teacher directly. That’s often the quickest way to spark interest. We’ll send over information on everything the school needs to know.
Agree the details
We’ll arrange a short call to confirm the school’s own policies (especially around photography and safeguarding), the date, the group size, and the space.
We take care of the paperwork
If the school needs a risk assessment, a VR safety notice, or parental consent forms, we’ll provide these in advance, tailored to the school’s exact requirements (see Resources below).
We come to you
Our DBS-checked team arrives with everything needed – presentation equipment, VR headsets and jerry cans – and works around the school day. We just ask for a screen or projector, a power socket, and access to a water source.
Enjoy the session
Watch students engage, ask questions, and come away with a genuinely different perspective on something many of us take for granted every day.
What we ask you to provide
A quick checklist for the day, from our guide for hosting organisations.
- A screen or projector and a power socket for the presentation.
- A space at least 4–5 metres long, flat and clear, for the jerry can rally (indoors or outdoors).
- Access to a water source (tap or hose) to fill the jerry cans.
- A member of staff present for the full session.
- A space clear of trip hazards for the VR experience, alongside the jerry can rally route.
Frequently asked questions
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Email us at asude@timetohelp.org.uk and we’ll be happy to help.
No. Walk2Water is a free education and awareness visit. We are not there to fundraise or ask for donations.
Only if your school’s policy allows it. If your school prefers no recording at all, we’re very happy to run the full event with zero data collection. Just let us know.
Yes. Every volunteer is DBS-checked and trained in safeguarding and safety protocols, and a full risk assessment is available on request. Activities such as the jerry can rally are carefully adjusted to be age-appropriate.
We warn in advance about any history of migraines, epilepsy or motion sickness, and no student is ever required to take part. A full VR safety notice is available for parents.
All ages. The tone, language and level of detail in the presentation are adapted depending on whether we’re talking to younger children or older students.
Most schools can be booked in within a few weeks of first getting in touch, depending on availability.
If your students feel inspired to do more, we’re delighted to support a fundraiser of your choosing.
Resources and downloads
Practical guides and forms to help you plan, prepare for and run a Walk2Water session. Every document is a free PDF you can download and print.
Everything your school, university or community group needs to know to host a Walk2Water session: the booking process, what we ask you to provide, preparing staff and students, and what happens on the day.
For the staff or volunteer leading a Walk2Water session on the day: the coordinator’s role, equipment checklist, the 90-minute running order, and safeguarding and safety arrangements for the jerry can rally and VR experience.
Parental Consent Form
To be completed by a parent or legal guardian before the Walk2Water session.
- This form is not completed online. Please print it, fill it in and return it to your child's school by the date the school has requested.
Risk Assessment Form
A standard risk assessment for a Walk2Water session, with hazards, existing controls, risk ratings and sign-off. We can tailor it to your school’s requirements.
Email Examples
Two example emails you can adapt: replying to a first enquiry, and confirming a booking.
- School names, dates and details in the examples are illustrative only, not real bookings.
VR video
Watch the official Walk2Water VR video to see a preview of the VR experience.
Presentation Coming soon
The session presentation will be added here. In the meantime, email us if you would like to see it in advance.
Bring Walk2Water to Your School
Get in touch and we’ll take it from there.
Walk2Water is an initiative of Time to Help (UK), a registered charity based in London, working locally and internationally to tackle water scarcity, support vulnerable communities, and empower the next generation to take action.
