Students at Marlborough Elementary are taking the lead on a campaign to build a well in east Africa.
The students, with a bit of teacher guidance, organized a Walk for Water recently. They collected donations and walked around the school's track carrying jugs of water to understand what it feels like for people in Africa, who travel great lengths for clean water.
"We're trying to support them because we know lots of kids in Africa don't get the chance to get water," said 11-year-old Sara Roh. "They have to walk a long way, and they usually have to miss school, and they don't get education, especially girls. In Africa, they think that girls don't need as much education as boys, so usually the girls miss school and fetch water at a very young age."
Sara said she felt "really sad," while trekking along the school's track, imaging what it was like for kids in Africa.
"I can understand their pain, and after taking the experience I understand about their life a little bit more," she said. "Everybody said it was really tiring and really hard, but we just kept going because we were so motivated."
Ten-year-old Celina Xiong said the exercise taught her how difficult it was to walk for water, but she pressed on.
"I was thinking if they can do it, so can I because they are much younger than me, and they have to walk miles and miles with no shoes," she said.
So far, the students have raised roughly $370, which will be matched by a donation from CERF incorporated. They are hoping to raise $2,000.
To support the cause, go to give. watercan.com/goto/ecolemarl borough.
The money is going to WaterCan, a non-profit group that builds wells in Eastern Africa.
Megan Madu, a teacher at Marlborough, said the kids did the organizing but water issues were part of the curriculum.
"The kids organized it all, did the announcements and counted the money," she said. "We supervised it, that's all we did."
As part of the ongoing partial strike, teachers are allowed to help fundraise for outside causes, but not for schools.
www.twitter.com/JenniferMoreau
