Students at John Knox Christian School in Wyoming got a taste of life in Zambia.
The Grade 7/8 students carried buckets of water for six kilometres mimicking the daily life of children in Zambia. It was part of The Well Project organized by the Christian mission organization Edu Deo Ministries.
The project started with a Grade 8 Christian school class and Edu Deo became a partner. Women and children in Zambia walk an average of six kilometres a day to collect water for their families and often miss out on education to get the family’s water supply.
So, Edu Deo and the students came up with The Well Project to raise money to build wells closer to homes in Zambia. John Knox students raised $1,600 for a Water Walkathon. The Grade 7 and 8 students carried buckets of water along the Wyoming to Reece’s Corner trail Tuesday to walk the same six kilometres Zambian children carry water each day.
Other schools from across Canada were also involved in events for The Well Project.
Edu Deo’s goal is to raise $40,000 to provide eight wells across Zambia.
Teacher Mans Eisen hopes the project opens the students eyes to the need for water conservation and being responsible stewards of the world.
Karissa Huizinga now has a better understanding of the importance of water and she says she’ll use it wisely.
And she has empathy for the Zambian children after walking from Wyoming to Reece’s Corners and back carrying water.
“It was hard on the arms and shoulders…we really didn’t get how they could do this every day. It was really hard.”