Sixth grader Maddy P. of The Colorado Springs School knows many people around the world lack access to clean water and must walk long distances to collect contaminated water, but she hadn’t realized how serious the situation truly is.
“I didn’t know how diseased the water could be,” she said. “They’re walking all that way just to get water that’s dirty. They’re putting themselves in danger doing that, so it’s really sad and frustrating.”
During a presentation this week by Charity: Water, a non-profit organization that brings clean water to people worldwide, Maddy and her classmates learned that 703 million people in the world live without clean water – and diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
The Colorado Springs School is making a difference by partnering with Charity: Water to drill a well in an African village in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, thanks to a generous donation from Rhodora and Dr. Kurt Steward P'32.
“We all know that many people lack access to clean water, and Malawi starkly illustrates how fortunate our students are,” said Head of School Dr. Ryan Kelly, adding that CSS is considering sponsoring a well each year. “I want them to understand the impact they can have and realize they are part of a global community.”
The global service project is being integrated with the 5th-grade curriculum, which focuses on human rights, and the 6th-grade curriculum, which studies Africa. Together, they are developing a strategy to raise awareness across the PreKindergarten through 12th-grade student body.
"This project represents more than a charitable effort," said Erin Cerezo, Director of the Lower and Middle School. "The Colorado Springs School is committed to teaching our students about global responsibility and empowering them to make a real-world impact. This is experiential learning at its best."
Since 2006, Charity: Water has completed more than 171,000 water projects in 29 countries, serving more than 19 million people. Of the nearly one in 10 people worldwide who lack access to clean water, the majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their families. Children as young as eight years old collect water. In addition to the water often carrying diseases that can make everyone sick, walking for water keeps children out of school and takes up time that parents could be using to earn money.
Planning for CSS’s well is already underway. Students will receive updates throughout the 12-month project, including photos and the well’s GPS coordinates in Malawi, where 66 percent of people are living below the income poverty line.
“You’re going to be able to see and learn more about Malawi and the lives that you changed on the other side of the globe,” Kaitlyn McDonald, a key relationships officer for Charity: Water, said during her presentation to 5th and 6th graders. “We are talking about kids who have the same dreams, the same aspirations, the same hopes as you, and you are going to make a world of difference for them.”
Students asked several questions including, How many people will be helped by the well CSS is building? (It's expected to be several hundred with a final number provided once the well is completed.)
To simulate collecting water, students engaged in a hands-on activity by carrying jugs weighing 40 pounds over a short distance on the Trianon Terrace. They were asked to imagine how it would feel to carry that water for an entire hour. Some students struggled even while carrying the water for less than a minute.
Maddy, who helped a classmate carry water, is so moved by the global service project that she wants to do even more. She’s hoping to hold a craft day in her driveway in which she provides supplies and neighborhood families pay a small fee to create art, with the proceeds going to Charity: Water.
“I’m super excited to be involved,” Maddy said. “It feels really good because part of my dream is to make sure everyone has equal rights all across the world.”
Click here to learn more about the Malawai water project.
