Carolina Forest Elementary students go global to help fund a Kenyan well

photo by flickr user AaronPhelps

The students of Carolina Forest Elementary School are reaching out across the continents to fund a well in an African village.

For the past few months, the leadership and students at Carolina Forest Elementary School have taken on a global project and began collecting funds to build a well for villagers in the African nation of Kenya.  To celebrate, they hosted a troupe of Kenyan acrobats in January and started a Free the Children Club that was joined by 40 students.

Today, the 100th day of school, students were asked to bring in 100 pennies towards the building of the well that will cost $5000.  This project is coordinated through the Free the Children organization, whose tag-line is "children helping children through education."

According to their website:

  • In developing countries, about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.
  • Roughly 1 in every 8 people around the world does not have access to safe drinking water.
  • Worldwide, 2.5 billion people are without access to adequate sanitation facilities.
  • Around the world, 1 out of 4 deaths in children under the age of five is due to a water-related disease.

Source:  http://www.freethechildren.com/whatwedo/international/aav/water/

At the school, a well has been made and stands in the cafeteria, ready to accept donations towards this project.  Beside it is a new bottled water vending machine with its profits going directly towards the building of the well.  In the hallway across from the cafeteria are essays from children about the project.  The whole student body is being asked to participate.

To read a write-up and see a video of the effort, check out this report by WBTW.  If you would like more information on Carolina Forest Elementary School's involvement or to donate, you can contact them at (843) 236-0001. 

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