Carly Risom
Reporter
On Sunday May 19 at 1:00 p.m., the annual “Water Walk,” organized by the Free the Children club, took place in Waveny Park. Participants carried water containers from Waveny’s pond to the end of the route, which was roughly a mile long. The walk was intended to simulate the trek African women make every day, in order to gather water for their daily needs, “Every day the mamas of the tribes have to carry huge loads of water for miles just to be able to cook food for their families, to bathe and complete other everyday tasks,” junior member of Free the Children Sydney Trager said. “Not only do they have to do this everyday, but the water is dirty and unfiltered.”
Free the Children’s faculty advisor, Stephanie Macomber, placed particular emphasis on the educational detriments that the women’s daily struggles impose, “Daughters often travel with the mothers, which prohibits them from attending school,” she said. “Therefore, access to clean water has a profound impact on the health of a community and girls’ access to education in many developing nations.”
The purpose of the Water Walk was to both raise money for African villages in need, and also to raise awareness of what these women endure on a daily basis. Members of NCHS’s Free the Children club in fact visited such a village during the summer of 2012. The donations will go directly to the Mwangaza village the club worked with, “Of course a walk around Waveny doesn’t even come close to what the mamas have to do, but it just gives people a little taste,” senior member of Free the Children Liza Swindell said. “The money that it raises goes to benefit the village of Mwangaza, Kenya, and specifically the building of a clean water well right in the village.”
Instead of using the large plastic jugs that the African women utilize, the walk’s participants brought their own containers to carry the water on the route through Waveny, “I think the most fun part of the water walk is the creativity in carrying the water,” sophomore member of Free the Children Shaan Appel said. “We had empty jugs for people to carry water in, but it’s much more fun with homemade contraptions such as buckets hung on sticks carried by two people,” he said.
Previous participants also enjoyed the relaxed feel of the walk, “I do the water walk because it’s a great way to give back but it’s also really casual,” junior Harriet Prior said. “The whole concept of carrying a bucket of water around Waveny is pretty unique, which is why I find it so engaging.”
Last year, roughly 60 people participated in the walk, and the clubs’ members had hoped to top this number on Sunday. According to Sydney, the walk is truly for all ages, “The good thing about our walk is that because it’s a personal choice of how much water you want to carry, so anyone can do it,” she said. “Besides the high school students, kids especially like to come with their families and play with the dogs who come, too.”
Ms. Macomber had high hopes for the fundraiser this year, “All the money raised goes directly to Free the Children and their clean water project in Kenya,” Ms. Macomber said. “Last year the club raised around $1,000 so we’re looking to top that this year.”
Free the Children’s club president, junior Lizzy Burke, was pleased with the outcome of the event, “Despite the bad weather, we had many participants who were enthusiastic about the walk and we raised around $900, in addition to other donations that will go towards the clean water initiative,” she said. “Each year we continue to grow, and we hope that next year’s Water Walk is even bigger and better.”
