Me-to-We Water Walk
Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor
Last Wednesday, May 15, students at Strathmore High School (SHS) were simulating someone else’s life.
Callista Weiss, Payton Berger, Joel Cooper, Alex Bird, Alicia George, Shayne Salmon, Alyssa Lavallee volunteered to carry one to two gallons of water with them all day long, to experience what women in Kenya have to do to get fresh water for their families.
“Women often carry water for seven or eight hours a day. Ours was just a demonstration of what they go through every day,” said Cooper.
“It was a bit of a burden. It was awkward juggling your books and binders and everything. You realize that the women in Kenya have to do this for a much longer time, so you push through it, thinking ‘I can suck it up and do this’,” said George.
The walk is inspired by the Free the Children organization and Spencer West’s ‘We Walk 4Water’ campaign. Spencer, who lost his legs at the age of five, is best known for his accomplishments of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro on his hands, but also raises funds for international charity and youth empowerment organizations. West held a charity walk, Edmonton to Calgary, from May 6 to 16.
For pictures of the event and more information see: http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/campaigns/we-walk-4water/
While SHS students couldn’t participate in West’s walk, they held their own a fundraiser with funds going toward a supply of clean drinking water for the small community of Osenetoi, Kenya in Africa. The students said that they would like to have the opportunity to help others again, or travel internationally and be involved in hands on projects.
To date, through the past school year, the “Me to We Club” at SHS has raised approximately $4,000 through events like the water walk, the benefit concert, and the penny drive. Anyone wishing to help them out can make donations to the “Me to We Club” at SHS, including spare change and pennies.
Direct donations can also be made to Free the Children on behalf of the school. There are still hand-made rafiki bracelets on sale for $10 each. The $10 is enough to feed one child in Kenya for a month, and helps support alternative income projects by Kenyan women.