Water for South Sudan Project
(submitted by Lynette Peck, Ensign Elementary School) - On December 5, 2011, Ensign Elementary teamed up with Oakridge Elementary in Granite District to raise money for the Water for South Sudan Organization. In preparation for this fundraising opportunity, students at both schools read either "Water for Sudan" or "A long Walk to Water." Both of these books chronicle the life of Salva Dut, one of the “Lost Boys” who, at age 11, survived Sudan’s civil war by walking across Africa’s harsh wilderness to reach safety in refugee camps. Nineteen years after being separated from his family, Salva went back to Sudan in search of his father. Ironically, his father had survived the brutal war only to become gravely ill from drinking contaminated water. Salva decided he would find a way to make sure his father never had to drink contaminated water again. He spent the next few years building his not-for-profit Water for South Sudan organization which has been drilling wells in Southern Sudan since 2005.
Students at both schools learned about the many life changing benefits that take place when a well is drilled in a village. Women no longer have to travel long distances each day for water, more stable structures such as schools and clinics can be built with handmade bricks, and infant mortality and disease is dramatically reduced. Additionally, our students are developing a better understanding of how fortunate they are to be living in the community they do today and what it means to become a true citizen of the world who reaches out to improve and positively impact the lives of others living on our planet.
The campaign ran through December 15, and the students found many unique and heart-warming ways to bring in contributions for this project. From piggy banks to hot chocolate sales, and doing extra chores and matching funds, the students and families of these two schools worked with enthusiasm to raise money. When we started this project, we hoped to be able to fund half of the costs to drill a well, but with overwhelming support, including a donation from Mountain America Credit Union through KUTV’s, “Pay it Forward” feature, the two schools were able to fully fund the drilling of a well with our $15,000 donation! The Water for South Sudan organization has put our well on the schedule for this year, and if the weather holds and the equipment can make it to where it is needed, the Oakridge/Ensign Memorial Well will be drilled by April. We look forward to finding out the exact location of our well and seeing the pictures of the villagers we have helped in the near future. The students and teachers at Ensign and Oakridge agree that our human spirits have been touched by participating in this project.
