Les Mills and UNICEF launch global
Workout for Water challenge to combat water poverty

New Zealand, 22 March 2024 - As World Water Day dawns in New Zealand this Friday, Les Mills and UNICEF have joined forces to launch a campaign raising funds for the hundreds of millions of children around the world living in areas of extreme water poverty.

Workout for Water is a global exercise challenge where participants are sponsored to complete 450 reps of any exercise every day for seven days – highlighting the shocking statistic that over 450 million children around the world don’t have regular access to clean water. On top of this, many must walk kilometres every day without respite to fetch water for their families – meaning they miss out on education and other opportunities.

Open to anyone, no matter where they are on their fitness journey, the challenge can be undertaken individually or as part of a team, with every dollar raised helping UNICEF guarantee the biggest impact for children in areas of greatest need - across global projects where water is a common and crucial aspect.

In 2019, the Workout for Water campaign raised nearly $1,000,000 globally, and despite its small size, New Zealand was the second highest fundraising country, showing Kiwis are both philanthropic and empathetic, says UNICEF Aotearoa CEO Michelle Sharp.

“Workout for Water and our partnership with Les Mills means critical funds are raised, enabling the provision of experts across UNICEF’s programme areas, the ability to scale up proven solutions globally, leading and pioneering new ideas for children, meeting children’s needs throughout childhood and adolescence, and being there before, during, and after an emergency,” she says.

“Water is a common, vital thread that runs through all of UNICEF’s projects, work and responses, so we are incredibly grateful to everyone supporting that through their involvement in this innovative and exciting campaign”.

Participants can complete the Workout for Water challenge from anywhere - home, the office, the beach or park, or in the gym. Those not already a member can visit a Les Mills gym, where they will receive six weeks of free access when signing up for the challenge. The top fundraisers this year will score an all-expenses paid trip and backstage passes to the Les Mills International Masterclass filming in Europe.

Les Mills International and UNICEF have been in partnership for more than six years and have just reached a milestone of US$2 million raised for children and families living in emergency situations.

“We are so privileged here in Aotearoa to live in a country where - whilst not without our own challenges - we have a strong sense of peace and stability compared to much of the world,” says Les Mills NZ CEO Brett Sutton.

“Workout for Water is our opportunity to engage our teams, instructors, trainers, members, and the wider NZ public in something bigger than our workouts. We can do what we do best - help make humans fit for life, whilst simultaneously raising funds and awareness for the incredible work that UNICEF does all around the world”.

For more information and to sign up for the Workout for Water challenge, please visit www.workoutforwater.org