The constant charity cliches of exploitative imagery and saviour complexes have caused the average Brit to become desensitised and cynical to the water crisis.

Just a Drop needed to find a unique and contemporary way to engage people around this issue which could raise the charity’s awareness & change people’s mindsets.

Around 771 million people have to walk for hours every day to fetch clean water, resulting in a mindless waste of human potential. UNICEF states that women and girls spend 200 million hours every day walking for water.

In Kitui County, Kenya, where Ann lives, the average distance to the nearest water point is 7km and most households spend between three and five hours fetching water.

Due to climate change and many global crises, this problem is only getting worse. Urgent action to build awareness and engagement was needed.

This is the Walk To The Well, believed to be the longest Twitter thread ever made – challenging people to scroll the equivalent distance of one woman’s 9km daily walk to collect water.

The real life story of Ann, from a small village in Kenya.

Across over 2000 tweets, the thread took people on a powerful journey – leading us through her daily struggle to the well and back.

When people scrolled as far as they could, they simply liked the tweet which triggered an auto-reply telling them the distance they walked and prompting them to donate.

Desk tools wouldn’t credibly open up truths around these people’s lives.

Just a Drop's long-term approach invests in rural communities beyond water infrastructure, uncovering their struggles and potential.

Time spent with individuals revealed that collecting water is not only a physical challenge, but also hinders personal and community growth.

This tension is juxtaposed with first-world time-sapping social media consumption, where exposure to others' experiences is fleeting and hindering progress.

To challenge people's understanding of this issue, Just a Drop’s tirelessly-long Twitter thread simulates the time-consuming challenge of collecting water in rural communities.

Experiencing this, the thread aimed to offer a window into a journey so few of us have to endure, bringing new meaning to “walk a mile in her shoes”.

As well as highlight that time is a precious commodity – just as access to clean water is vital for individuals and communities to thrive.

A thread on Twitter is a series of connected tweets from one person or handle - ours was over 2000 tweets long - the longest Twitter thread ever made.

The thread launched on World Water Day 2023 from Just a Drop’s Twitter account, which was re-skinned for our campaign to immerse people in the brand’s story.

The campaign ran for a month, with paid media on the first tweet in the thread running throughout. This initial tweet drew people in, challenging them to see how far they could scroll through Ann’s story.

It largely lived on Twitter, with lots of support from celebrities, industry experts and other charities. It was so popular as an idea, it was also shared on instagram by celebrities who picked up on the campaign.

We timed the campaign to launch our thread on World Water Day – 22/03/2023.

Less than 4 weeks from this to date to time of writing this paper, the results are:

Reach:

The thread reached 7,514,835 unique users

Earned media reached an additional 14.7 million people

Engagement:

473k engagements

2.96 million tweet views within the thread

People collectively walked 13,420 km in total

332 people were determined enough to complete the challenge

Donations:

£11,559.55 was raised

This is 5.9 times the charity's monthly average

Brand perception:

No budget was available for trackers or surveys

A 7,000% increase in brand mentions on Twitter was observed

Business targets:

The money currently raised will provide sustainable year-round water to a 330 pupil school in Kenya

This will enable a new generation to reach their potential

Around 771 million people have to walk for hours every day to fetch clean water, resulting in a mindless waste of human potential. UNICEF states that women and girls spend 200 million hours every day walking for water.

In Kitui County, Kenya, where Ann lives, the average distance to the nearest water point is 7km and most households spend between three and five hours fetching water.

Due to climate change and many global crises, this problem is only getting worse. Urgent action to build awareness and engagement was needed.