UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Step-by-step all the way up Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro, a handful of popular celebrities and influential educators will climb one of the highest mountains in the world next month to raise awareness about the lack of access to clean and safe water.

    The campaign, known as "Summit on the Summit," will raise funds through the United Nations Foundation and kickstart a series of public service announcements that will capture the hearts and minds of those fortunate enough to never think twice about where they get their water from.

    Grammy nominated singer Kenna said that after speaking to his father, who suffered from a water-borne disease in Ethiopia and watched his friend and family members die, he felt compelled to give something back while raising awareness among the developed world. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro before. This time, it would be for a cause.

    "I did this for my dad," he told a group of journalists at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, "but the reality is that water is the beginning of a domino effect that affects every part of our lives."

    Currently, an estimated 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water, 2.6 billion are without adequate sanitation, and more than 4 billion do not have their wastewater treated to any degree, according to the World Bank.

    The situation is only to get worse as climate change limits scarce water resources and leads to the displacement of millions of people around the world. By 2025, 4 billion people -- half the world's population at that time -- will live under conditions of severe water stress, with conditions particularly severe in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, says the World Bank.

    Elizabeth Gore, executive director of global partnerships for the UN Foundation, will be climbing all 19,340 feet of Mount Kilimanjaro as well. She noted the importance of the mountain as a symbol for depleting sources of clean water. Climate change and deforestation on the mountain has contributed to glacier retreat, limiting the amount of fresh drinking water.

    "This used to be one of Africa's most coveted gems," she said. "And now we're like, 'Are we even going to see snow?'"

    Others embarking on the climb include: Bernise Ang, an activist from Singapore, Jessica Biel, an American actress, Jimmy Chin, an extreme photographer, Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of the famous explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Lupe Fiasco, a hip-hop musician, Simon Isaacs, a water expert, Kick Kennedy, granddaughter of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Isabel Lucas, an Australian actress, and Michael Muller, a prolific photographer.

    The climbers will also visit two United Nations refugee camps in Ethiopia. The first one, which lacks funding, can only provide its refugees with two liters of water a day while the other camp, which is well funded, has the ability to provide more than 30 liters a day.

    "Climbers will be able to see first-hand how water affects the refugee camps," said Gore.

    Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the senior policy advisor for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said donor countries often prioritize funding for food over water, leaving many camps without access to clean water. Sometimes, female refugees must travel long distances to find water, increasing their chances of rape.

    As water is critical to its refugee camps, the UNHCR is planning a partnership with the multinational water bottling and foods corporation Nestle to deliver clean water and support for small-scale farming initiatives for refugees.

    However, nongovernmental groups have protested the deal, accusing Nestle of "green washing," after several scandals that have included environmental degradation and human rights violations.

    Llosa called the conflict of interest "a potential issue."

    He said the "decision is to still go forward," but later revised his statement to Xinhua News Agency, saying that "at the moment, there are no formal plans."

    He could not comment on whether Nestle's questionable record on environmental and human rights issues was stalling the negotiations or whether an agreement would be reached any time soon.

    Nestle and the UNHCR already have one partnership, which provides water to more than 200,000 Somali refugees and local people in Eastern Ethiopia.