After months of training and preparation, today the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro climbers will begin their highly-anticipated ascent of Africa’s tallest (19,340-ft) mountain – Mt. Kilimanjaro. The reason? To raise awareness about the need for clean drinking water, as well as funds for clean water programs in the developing world.

The climbers have spent the last few days visiting a village near Arusha, Tanzania where they saw, firsthand, the toll the global water crisis is taking on communities around the world, as well as the relief efforts being used to help. One clean water solution is the PUR sachet, which was developed by Procter & Gamble’s (NYSE: PG) PUR Water Filtration. Since 2004, PUR and the CSDW program have worked together to prevent water-related diseases around the globe with the PUR sachet, which is a tiny packet of powder that can transform potentially deadly water into clean, drinkable water within 30 minutes.

See the PUR sachet at work here.

“I went on this climb with the intention to bring awareness to the clean drinking water crisis,” said Jessica Biel. “Meeting the people and community in Tanzania, and seeing firsthand how just one PUR sachet can mean the difference between healthy water and contaminant laden water for an entire village, has been an invaluable and eye-opening experience for me. My hope is that others will be inspired to find ways that they can help; starting simply in their homes and continuing to other parts of the world. We are all in this together.”

The climb – which will benefit PUR Water Filtration’s partner, the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW), among other clean water efforts – was created by Grammy-nominated musician, Kenna, whose father nearly lost his life as a child after contracting a water-borne disease from drinking contaminated water.

Who’s Climbing?

• Kenna – Grammy-nominated musician and creator of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro
• Jessica Biel – Actor (upcoming films Valentine’s Day and The A-Team)
• Emile Hirsch – Actor (Into the Wild, Milk)
• Isabel Lucas – Actor (Transformers 2)
• Lupe Fiasco – Grammy-nominated musician
• Dr. Greg Allgood – Director of the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program at Procter & Gamble
• Alexandra Cousteau – National Geographic Emerging Explorer
• Kick Kennedy – Environmental activist and granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy
• Elizabeth Gore – Executive Director of Global Alliances for the United Nations Foundation
• Jason Walsh – Renowned Trainer and Movement Specialist

Dr. Greg Allgood personally took the climbers on their Village Visit near Arusha, Tanzania. He frequently makes trips to Africa with the CSDW Program and recently traveled to Arusha in October 2009. However, this is the first time he’s brought such a diverse group to see the work he does around the world.

“It was amazing seeing the reaction my fellow climbers had during their eye-opening visit to the village,” Dr. Greg Allgood said. “There are 4,000 children who die every day from diseases caused by unsafe drinking water, a statistic that PUR and the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program have been working tirelessly to help address.”

Why Climb for Clean Drinking Water?

• There are over one billion people in the developing world who don’t have access to clean drinking water.
• With no running water, many families have no choice but to drink from rivers and streams contaminated with bacteria, parasites and viruses, which contribute to a prevalence of diarrhea-related illnesses that cause widespread death.

Join The Cause

• A portion of the proceeds from the climb will go to benefit the CSDW Program. Anyone in the U.S. can join the climb and the clean drinking water cause by purchasing a PUR water pitcher or faucet mount filtration system. One purchase of a PUR system will donate a week’s worth of clean drinking water to children in need in the developing world.¹
• Donations from purchases of PUR water pitchers and faucet mounts will go towards the CSDW Program’s goal of providing more than 4 billion liters of clean drinking water in the developing world from 2007-2012, helping to preventing an estimated 160 million days of diarrheal illness and saving an estimated 20,000 lives. To date, the CSDW program has delivered over 1.8 billion liters of clean drinking water to those in need.
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Jessica Biel is part of the team of climbers among Kenna, Santi Gold, Lupe Fiasco and several others who will be risking their lives and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro on January 7th.

The site http://www.summitonthesummit.com will be updated in real-time with videos, tweets, and messages as they make their way up 19,340ft to the top.

You can support Jessica and the SOTS movement several ways.  Help us fight the global clean water crisis and raise awareness about our climb with these tools. They are providing you with banners, icons, stencils, flyers, and much more so you can easily help support the cause. Use these tools on your blogs, social networking pages, and everywhere you can. page here: http://www.summitonthesummit-tools.com.

You can also sponsor a foot of the climb on the Summit on the Summit website by donating directly to the cause. All the funds raised will go towards The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Water For People’s Playpump Technology.