WHAT WE SPENT MONEY ON
This walk would not have happened without faithful family and friends who gave generously to our health and safety while abroad. Click here for a full list of those who specifically sponsored out walk.
It was always very important to Walking4water to be good stewards of donations that were given. All staff were volunteers who do not receive compensation for their hard work. When we sold the Land Rover a few months into the trip, that cut down our costs significantly, as we no longer needed to spend money on fuel or repairs.
Our goal during the trip was to operate at $1300 per month. We usually spent less. Additional donations were given to fund clean water projects. Below is a brief explanation of our monthly expenses.
- Food – $200: Amy and Aaron supported local business owners by eating locally. They did not eat steak and lobster or anything, but walking 20 miles every day takes a lot of calories.
- Emergency savings – $200: Every month we set some money aside in case of an emergency. If Aaron broke his arm rock climbing, or Amy tried to pet the lions, we wanted to be able to deal with those situations without worrying about money. Any extra money was donated to clean water projects at the end of the walk.
- Visas – $200: Visas were required for the team to pass through each country legally; this was one of our largest expenses in both time and money.
- Lodging – $175: Even though the team camped out most of the time, they sometimes liked to take showers. Youth hostels were a great place for them to sleep in a bed and recover a few times a month.
- Team stipend – $200: The team stipend allowed the team to buy things like toothpaste, new underwear, and some time at internet cafes to stay connected.
- Operations – $120: Even though we never had any employees or buildings, we did have expenses associated with running an international nonprofit: PO Box rental, web hosting, PayPal fees, currency exchange fees, printed materials and postage.
- Ticket savings – $100: This money was set aside every month to pay for airline tickets at the end of the walk to bring the team back home.