Bay students host 'Walk for Water'
Last year's Walk for Water participants try carrying jerry cans filled with 5 gallons of water that are often used by children and women who walk 3.75 miles to fetch water in Africa.
Bay High Key Club, together with Westerly K-Kids and Bay Middle Builders Club, is changing lives one step at a time! These youth service organizations, sponsored by the Kiwanis of Bay Village, are designed to build leadership skills in young people through service to others.
Our Walk for Water goal is to help end the global water crisis by raising $18,000 through our event on Sunday, May 1. Partnering with the Thirst Project, the world’s leading youth water activism organization, we strive to raise the money needed to build freshwater wells in eSwatini, (formerly known as Swaziland). Each dollar we raise goes directly to building the wells in the southern African country.
In these communities, women and children have to walk an average of 3.75 miles every day to collect water. Not only is the distance challenging, but the water is also unclean and used by animals. The dirty water often causes disease or death.
Due to the fact that the women are walking, they have no opportunity at a higher level of education or to work to help provide for their families. The children do not have the chance to go to school and get an education. These people are deprived of not just water, but of an education.
Additionally, COVID vaccinations are not as readily available to these communities, so healthy water is especially important for prevention and spread of this deadly disease.
Water also allows the families to grow their own garden for a dependable food source. By providing a water well to these communities, it would change their lives completely and provide a brighter future.
Each community well costs $12,000 and the local community helps to support the building of the well and is trained to maintain it. Each well is expected to last over 40 years. The Kiwanis Family is aiming to raise $18,000 this year to provide for 1-½ wells, after raising enough for one well during the pandemic last year.
Our biggest event of the year is Saturday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Bay High School, where we will hold our Walk for Water. The community is invited to walk a 3.75-mile sidewalk route to simulate the journey women and children walk daily in eSwatini. Each adult walker is asked to donate $15 and children (12 and under) $10, to help raise money for this cause. A “Swag Bag” is available for an additional $15 when ordered by Wednesday, April 13, and includes a Walk for Water shirt and additional goodies. Sign up on Hometown Ticketing at tinyurl.com/4fh3vhkn.
The Thirst Project committee is co-chaired by sophomores, Lucy Gillette and Mary Catherine Murtaugh. Committee members include Elise Kelley, Anna Mayer, and Amy Burgy. We are so excited about the Walk and we hope you can join us to help end the global water crisis and change lives for generations to come.