Online creators from dozens of countries, by Mrbeast and popular science YouTuber Mark Roberta $40 million fundraising campaign is being launched to establish water quality projects around the world.
The month-long crowdfunding campaign, touted as the largest YouTube collaboration and known as #TeamWater, is expected to conglomerate to fight unsafe water. Funding will benefit primarily from WaterAid, an international nonprofit that builds community-regulatory infrastructure from solar-powered wells to stormwater harvesting systems.
According to the United Nations, as of 2022, more than 2 billion people have no access to safely managed drinking water. Organizers hope to put this number in a dilemma by providing sustainable access to 2 million people and with a commitment to advocacy throughout their lives.
Joining #teamwater are smaller creators, along with some online celebrities such as streaming giant Kai Cenat Dud Perfect. Whether they are filming serious interpreters or challenging with silly water, creators are encouraged to produce content that is authentic to their brand.
Water acquisition is identified as a solution problem and can also unite its large global followers. But MRBEAST CEO Jeff Housenbold acknowledges that they are better aware of builders than infield executives, and therefore, they seek partners with global reach, existing community partnerships and long-term change capabilities.
That brought them to the water. According to Waterad America CEO Kelly Parsons.
Waterad usually hires the community to design the right solution for a year, she said. This work sometimes involves training local water technicians.
“It all starts and ends with the communities we work with to ensure ongoing design,” Parsons said. “It’s more about pipeline.”
While Waterad will not provide a list of all the places that funds will go, countries include Colombia, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Malawi and Kenya. Charity partners Gringpower and Alok Foundation also helped implement in rural Kenya and Brazil, respectively.
Projects in the United States include an atmospheric water generator for assisted living facilities in Jackson, Mississippi The fragile water system almost collapsed Three years ago. Nonprofit Digdeep is helping fix the collapsed infrastructure in the small town of Rodel, West Virginia.
Alex and Alan Stokes’ 129 million subscribers make them one of YouTube’s largest channels, filming a Nepali village in a Nepali village that is building 15,000-liter tanks. The trip reminded them of their upbringing in a Chinese town where their grandfather walked miles and filled a 5-gallon kettle.
“Being there in person is definitely one of the experiences that brings us everything,” Alex said. “[We]see these kids there, and it also reminds us a lot of things from our childhood.”
Multi-platform drives follow 2019 #teamtrees The #TeamSeas advertising campaign in 2021 reportedly attracted more than $50 million in total. The money helped plant millions of trees and cleared millions of pounds of waste from the body of water.
However, those humanitarian efforts have drawn criticism of complex problems and simplified solutions to apply band-aids rather than the main drivers of forest losses or ocean pollution.
“Ideally, you don’t just use philanthropy to eliminate the symptoms of the problem,” said Patricia Illingworth, a philosophy professor at Northeastern University. “But instead, you need to address the root cause.”
Matt Fitzgerald, a digital sports strategist who organized the efforts, said the movements were never intended to be “all over.” He hopes they can be the entrance to deeper commitment.
He said that while the first two movements were about “fist-strike, the earth-like style of environmentalism,” the movement tried to focus people while still “keep the top of the planet’s mind.”
“No matter how big the moment of mass internet mobilization may be, real progress on these issues requires people to continue to pay attention and continue to get involved,” Fitzgerald said. “For me, the way to do this is that you touch people’s hearts before you try to convince them with their thoughts.”
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