Cape students host Water for South Sudan fundraiser

Students participating in the Cape Henlopen School District’s Extended School Year program recently read the novel “A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park.

They were inspired by this true story to try to make a difference for the people of South Sudan.

“A Long Walk to Water” follows Salva Dut, an 11-year-old boy who dealt with extremely harsh conditions and a lack of clean drinking water while living in the country of South Sudan in east central Africa. “This book came as a recommendation from Ms. Andrelczyk, who is an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Mariner Middle School,” said Adam Kindl, a teacher at Beacon Middle School.

“After reading the book as a class, we thought it would be a great idea to try to help give South Sudan children, like Salva, access to clean drinking water. We knew that installing water wells would be a costly process, but the students wanted to do whatever they could to help contribute to those costs.”

The students who worked together to relay Salva’s story to their friends, family members and teachers were Kenzi Morgan and Madyson Morgan, Beacon Middle School eighth-grade students; and Javen Savage, a Mariner Middle School seventh-grade student.

Together they were able to raise $200 for the Water for South Sudan Project. “While this isn’t enough to provide new wells in South Sudan, this money will be used to purchase four new water pumps for the existing wells so that families in South Sudan can continue to have access to clean drinking water,” said Kindl. “I’m proud of these students for taking this project to the next level, and working to make a difference for the children and families affected.”

Salva Dut, founder of the Water for South Sudan Project, sent a personal letter to the students thanking them for their efforts. “My message to all children is to stay calm when things are hard or not going right for you. You can overcome those things if you have hope, faith, and perseverance,” Dut wrote in his letter. “Also, I wanted to thank you for fundraising to raise money to help the people of South Sudan. By raising money for South Sudan, you are helping them to have clean, safe water that so many people take for granted.”

To learn more, go to waterforsouthsudan.org.