Clean, drinkable water flows from faucet and spigot around us. Yet, in the developing world, people struggle to find it, fill up buckets of it, and walk miles to deliver it to their families.
For the second year in a row, the Tri-School community will have a chance to do something about this problem. Students are asked to give up their favorite sodas and Snapples, drinking instead only water from refillable containers. Giant water dispensers have been placed in the Serra halls. Padres are asked to donate what they would have spent on sugary drinks to the H20 Project.
"During Lent, every Serra Padre is asked to take part in the H2O Project," said Director of Christian Service Carlo Fiatarone. "The H2O Project is both a sacrifice and an action. By choosing one week to live simply, and drink water as our only beverage, we can save enough money to build a water well that will provide clean drinking water for an entire village in West Africa."
Last year, Tri-School students raised $6,500 for a new well. This year, students from the three communites are hoping to raise $8,000.
"I participate in the H20 Project because I feel it is healthy to give up sodas for a while and get water," said sophomore Guillermo Grijalba. "When you do it to help others get water, it's even more important."
In Ghana, especially in rural villages, most people dont' have access to clean water sources. Many people have to walk to miles to the closest well. It is not uncommon for them to drink water from contaminated streams and rivers, which leads to disease and death.
"Through our Lenten sacrifice this year, we are aiming to build another well in Ghana, in the town of Kwasikrakrom," Fiatarone noted. "We chose this town because the well we built last year is now the closest clean water source for the children of this village. By building this well, we will save them a four-kilometer walk every day. More children will be able to stay in school, and more families will have access to clean drinking water."
