By Sadie Reecer
After school on April 30, more than 40 Noblesville High School students and volunteers took a three-mile trek to White River to collect water and raise money for Walk for Water, an Indianapolis-based program, organized by the Jubilee Village Project, that fundraises money to bring fresh and clean water to rural villages in western Kenya.
While in his Innovations class at NHS, Sophomore Brett Bell began working with the organization to create an event locally to directly benefit the village of Kawiya.
“I have always wanted to help Africa in some way because of how hard the people have it,” he said. “They face problems daily that would usually never cross our minds, like where our next drink of water will come from. “
Bell said the walk from the high school to White River and back was harder than he imagined it would be.
“The walk was actually a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be,” he said. “I can’t imagine having to make that walk two or three times a day.”
Each participant carried a five-gallon bucket on their head, which Bell said represents what the women and children of the village do every day.
“I think the walk really hit home to everyone who walked,” Bell said. “The walk raised money for a great cause, but it also let people experience a major problem in Africa and it made me, as well as others, not take our water for granted.”
So far, the event has raised around $1,500, but Bell and other students of NHS will continue taking donations for the next few weeks. To donate or find out more about the NHS Walk for Water initiative, visit https://nhs.walk-for-water.org.
