Taylor du Pont
Associate Media Editor
The charity driven and education promoting organization, Free the Children, strives to empower youths to free the Earth’s population of the cycle of poverty. Locally, Free the Children clubs have been organized at schools such as NCHS, Saxe Middle School, South School, and Saint Lukes.
“The goal of Free the Children is to empower youth to change the world,” junior Liza Swindell said. “They work 50% locally and 50% globally to help with such things as sustainable development, health care and education.”
The NCHS sector meets every Tuesday night to talk about upcoming fundraiser opportunities and to discuss plans concerning their trip to Kenya in July. “We raise money for the club by putting together different events, ranging in size, such as with bake sales and even to this water walk,” freshman Deven Appel said. “Together with these events and donations we can raise a lot of money needed.”
In hopes of raising money for their trip to Kenya, the club will be holding a Water Walk Fundraiser at Waveny Park on Apr. 22. “Half of the proceeds will go to our club’s project next year, whether it be a school or a clean water station,” junior Abbie Stone said. “The other half will go toward funding our club to go to Kenya this summer. We are officially going and we have our plane tickets and everything, but it is incredibly expensive, and we need all the help we can get. Having been to Kenya with Free the Children, I can honestly say it’s an experience that no one should be deprived of as a result of their financial situation.”
Despite the fundraisers held at NCHS throughout the school year, the club believed they needed to expand and have a large-scale fundraiser that got the whole community involved. “The goal of this water walk is to basically create awareness about the struggles that so many people go through for clean water,” Abbie said. “I mean, I know that women in Kenya make a five mile trip up to seven times a day, just to get to the closest water source, and carry back a 50 pound water jug. By having people walk a distance while carrying water, I hope will be symbolic of the women that walk miles for their water just to survive.”
While in Kenya, the club will offer their assistance in a variety of ways. “We will be digging the foundation and building up the stonewalls for a new school in the village of Mwangaza in the Maasai Mara. Mwangaza is home to the Kipsigi tribe, one of Kenya’s largest ethnic groups. We will be living and working alongside them,” Abbie said. “We will also be helping members of the Maasai tribe, another one of Kenya’s largest ethnic groups, build an addition onto the nearby Kisaruni Girl’s Secondary School.”
Walkers are asked to bring their own containers to be filled with water and carried on a one-mile course through the park, ending at the Waveny Pool lot, to simulate the daily tasks of these Kenyan women.
Senior Jacqueline Trager hopes people take time out their Sunday to participate in the event. We are so excited to go [to Kenya]and finally see all our hard work pay off! People should join the water walk because it’s going to be so much fun and it is for a great cause,” she said.
Tickets are now being sold online at 10 dollars per person, and 40 dollars per family. The club is also selling tickets at the event and outside of Dunkin’ Donuts, Walter Stewarts and The Food Emporium on Apr. 21.
