Siabatoi Sanneh walked the whole Paris marathon last Sunday carrying a container holding 20kg of water on her head, with a board reading:

“In Africa, women cover this distance every day to find water. Help us to reduce this distance.”

Siabatoi has been walking 16k in order to collect water to live everyday since she was five years old.

“I came to Paris to do the marathon to raise awareness and help the African women get clean water for their domestic use – for drinking, cooking, washing and gardening to grow agriculture,” Siabatou told the International Business Times.

Siabatoi has been walking 16k in order to collect water to live everyday since she was five years old

“In my country, you grow what you eat and you eat what you grow, but you can only do that with sufficient water.”

Siabatoi’s walk is part of a wider movement however, called The Marathon Walk through which Water For Africa aims to  build a sustainable water source, for every marathon distance reached.

In Africa women cover this distance every day to find water

Find more information and how you can help here