Walk for Water Friday to raise money for well in South Sudan

For  the second straight year, Greenhills middle school students this Friday will conduct a “Walk for Water” campaign with two goals.First, faculty are hoping to help students understand the meaning of poor access to clean water in the developing world. Equally important is raising money for a new well at a girls’ school in war-torn South Sudan.

Middle school science students learned that, in Africa, women and children walk an average of four miles each day to get about six liters of clean water home to their families. Often, the quest for water is the reason girls leave school.

To better understand how carrying that much water that far feels, students will gather at Greenhills at 8 a.m. May 23 to walk the four miles from the school to Parker Mill. During the journey each student will carry six liters of water—three two-liter pop bottles weighing 12 pounds. In addition to the unique learning experience, students also are helping raise money for a new well at St. Theresa Primary School  in South Sudan. If they raise enough money to dig a well, their work could be the difference-maker that keeps some of St. Theresa’s students in school. Last year’s Walk for Water raised more than $4,400 and resulted in a new well for a primary school in Uganda. This year’s goal is $3,800. Organizing the effort are science teacher Ann Novak, Greenhills Media Specialist Jan Chernin, and Diversity Director Nadine Hall. For more information or to donate, check out the Walk for Water webpage at http://gh2owalk.weebly.com/.