 Hillsboro students support clean water projects in Africa
By CAROLE ROBINSON, Staff Writer
crobinson@williamsonherald.com
The beverage machines in the halls of Hillsboro Elementary/Middle are quiet and there is no milk and juice line in the cafeteria – it’s at the water fountain.
Soda, juice and milk sales are down at businesses in Leiper’s Fork, but no one is concerned – bottled water sales are up. It’s been a week since students at Hillsboro School have had anything to drink except water and they have another week left in the Free the Children Water Project.
Organized by Hillsboro’s Student Council, the student body is sacrificing all beverages, except water, for two weeks in an effort to raise money and awareness about clean water and basic sanitation projects in Africa and developing countries throughout the world with the Adopt a Village: Clean Water campaign of Free the Children.
“For two weeks we are not drinking soda,” said eighth-grader Nikki Davenport. “The money we save we put in a cup towards the project.”
According to the scorecard, students can save up to $1.50 per glass by drinking water rather than milk, soda or juice and up to $1 per bottle on sports drinks. Every time they drink a glass or bottle of water, they put that savings into a cup. At the end of the two weeks, the money will be collected.
This year’s goal is to raise $5,000 to help provide a community in Kenya with clean water, which has a domino effect by improving the health of families and enabling children to attend school providing them with a brighter future.
“In many developing countries people have to drink from the same water source as their cattle or where they wash their clothes,” said Sue Alice Sauthoff, Student Council advisor. “Free the Children is building community wells in small rural villages that do not have a water source within 25 to 30 miles. That will allow women to make shorter daily trips for their fresh water.”
And the quality of that water will go a long way in improving their circumstances, Sauthoff said.
According to Free the Children, every year waterborne bacterial diseases kill an estimated 1.5 million people world-wide, the majority of whom are children and a lack of clean water and sanitation is responsible for 1.6 million preventable child deaths and millions more suffer from waterborne illnesses such as typhoid, works and diarrhea denying children access to basic education.
“Clean water will help children not get sick and then there will be more peace in the world if we try to help out and get to know each other,” said fifth-grader Anna Whitt.
Second-grader Dale Fox agreed.
“It’s going to be good for people in different places – we’ll get to know people,” he said.
Since many students in the Leiper’s Fork area have wells, they find it easy to relate to some of the challenges children in developing countries face, Sauthoff said.
“We are saving money so they can build a well so people won’t have to travel so far to get water, they just go to the well,” said third-grader Weston Davis.
Often women and young girls walk miles to collect water that is less than clean –the girls have to quit school to help fetch the water, Anna said. Providing easy access to clean water sources in communities also allows young girls the chance to continue their education and develop skills to support their families.
“We thought it would be a good idea to help people in Africa so they wouldn’t have to travel so far for water,” Mackenzie Wasner, a seventh-grader, added. “We have a well so we can relate to how they feel, but we can get Cokes and soft drinks at the store whenever we want.”
Every school built by Free the Children is equipped with a clean water project such as rain barrels and storage tanks that ensure school children always have clean water to drink even if a drought occurs.
During the two weeks of the campaign, guest speakers, including African refugees and aid workers will meet with students in every grade level.
Anyone wishing to help the students with their campaign may contact Sue Alice Sauthoff at 472-4560 or sues@wcs.edu.
Posted on: 4/3/2008
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