Getting Started

To get started, we outlined the plans for our action project.

As we’ve researched in our studies through Children Inspiring Hope, the water crisis facing the world today is a globally economic and social problem. Nearly a billion people lack access to clean, potable water – that’s one in every eight people on the planet. Not only is water unclean, but members of rural communities must walk dozens of miles to collect it. Millions die each year due to waterborne illnesses, including 1.5 million children under the age of 5.

Living in the United States, we tend to take advantage of the water in our lives – every time we need to drink, bathe, or even play, we turn on a faucet. We water our flowers and clean our cars, consuming hundreds of gallons, without realizing how fortunate we are to have such bountiful access to water. Much of the world’s water crisis comes from lack of infrastructure – a simple well could bring water to a thousand people. Wells can take clean, natural water from the earth and supply it to members of a rural community.

Each member of our group feels very strongly about bringing water to people who lack its essential benefits. Imagining a world without water, from a morning shower to brushing our teeth at night, creates a very dire image. And it’s not just a matter of being clean or comfortable – it’s a matter of life or death. So many people die unnecessarily because they don’t have the infrastructure to have safe water. 80% of sicknesses in third world countries could be prevented if they all have access to clean water. We believe everyone deserves the right to water, so we will do our best to bring that privilege to communities in need.

There is a foundation – The Water Project, Inc. – where we can sponsor a well that can bring fresh water to between 500 and 1,000 people. To pay for an entire well and the preparation, training, and instruction of the community would cost $6,500. That number may be unrealistic, but it’s our goal. There is way to set up a fundraising page through The Water Project, and there, people (anybody who we know and wants to do so) can donate money to our specific cause. It costs only $10 to supply one person water for an entire year when the total $6,500 is divided.

We understand that $6,500 is a lot of money for three fourteen year olds to accumulate, but we’re prepared to fundraise. In addition to educating family and friends via email (and asking them to donate to our fundraiser page), we’ll have merchandise sales. Some of the ideas we’ve talked about are (our own designed) reusable grocery bags, coupon books, bake sales, custom water bottles, and perhaps a night where we will have fun games, dinner, and a chance to educate people about the water crisis.


HOW WE (MIGHT) EDUCATE ABOUT THE WATER CRISIS:

-Make a video that we can post on youtube and send around the link

-Make a PowerPoint

-Talk to people (at school, in neighborhoods, etc.)

Another idea we’ve thought about is that, in addition to raising the money to build a well, we can try to make some sort of donation to kids in Africa. Perhaps this could be some soccer balls or bears/dolls. We may be able to ask the Atlanta Silverbacks or somebody like Sports Authority to sponsor us for some soccer balls.