Children understand the need! You can help make his wish come true.

Children in our schools rarely give a second thought to water and bathrooms that are abundantly available in our schools.  We received a copy of a handwritten note from a young boy, Saif, in Pakistan through our implementing partner, Save the Children.  Saif mentions that his village water source was destroyed in a recent flood.  He said that diarrhea was a huge problem, and the mothers had to walk out of the village to collect drinking water.  His note was requesting that Save the Children complete a WASH in Schools project in his school.  He said,  "I will play our role."  The community and the children are willing to help with construction, and form hygiene clubs that manage and help sustain the project- all they are doing is asking for help to provide an essential basic need- WATER!

Translation of the letter from Urdu to English:


Mr. Badar Sahib, Assalamualaikum!

Eid greetings to you, your family and your team. At this happy occasion of eid I would also like to say that we should not forget our brothers and sisters whose houses have been washed away by the flood. At the same time I want o divert your attention towards another important issue which has made hundreds of thousand lives of the children at risk i.e. “un-availability of safe drinking water” as you know water is an integral part of our life, but safe water. As you know that diarrhea is one of the main causes of mortality amongst children, and every year hundreds of thousand children die due to it. Polluted water contributes 30-30% to this problem. I also learned in Child Focused health Education (CFHE) sessions by Save the Children that polluted water causes many other problems as well. The current flood destroyed water channels and other water sources across the country. My village is also one of the effected villages, which has directly affected me, my SHN CFHE group fellows and rest of the children of my town. The flood damaged the village water supply scheme. We temporally get water from the stream which is not safe water. My group children and some other children refused to drink that water. My mom and some other women of the village Fitch the water from a water source out of the village for drinking purpose, but we use stream water for washing cloths and taking shower etc.

I request Save the Children to solve this issue. We will play our role.

“Water is life”

 Regards

Saif Ur Rehman

CFHE Volunteer

Peshora village, District and Tehsil, Batgram

Water IS life!
 Everyday, H2O for Life asks teachers and students to help make this wish come true.  Won't you also help Saif and others obtain water, toilets and hygiene education at their schools?
Gather your friends, or individually make a donation in Saif's name at:
http://www.h2oforlifeschools.org/ 

Thank You!

Prairie Crossing Project

Prairie Crossing, Illinois students create an all school event!

Chelsea Curran and Lauren Rudolf choose H2O for Life and the water crisis as a focus for a school assignment. They set up six informational stations and challenged their school to walk for water in honor of Earth Day.  The girls went above and beyond the assignment guidelines, writing a 20-25 research paper and putting in over 50 hours of time to organize the event.  The girls raised funds to help bring water, sanitation and hygiene education to a school in Tanzania.  To read the local newspaper article, click on the link below:

This project isn't all wet! 

Congratulations, and thanks, girls for your inspiration and passion!

HB Woodlawn and others walk for water

March, April and May have certainly been the months that have seen the greatest numbers of water walks for H2O for Life.  H2O suggested walking on April 16th to collaborate with Global Youth Service Day, and many schools were able to join us. We have heard results from many schools, and so far, schools have raised over $70,000 for water- just by walking! Incredible.

On Saturday, April 21, Patty Hall, H2O for Life President, flew into DC to attend the HB Woodlawn walk for water at Potomac Overlook Park. The weather was gorgeous, the trail run was fantastic, and over 300 runners turned out for the event.  HB students, faculty and an energetic parent group organized the event.  It was a "real" race venue.  Runners had official times, and prizes were awarded for many categories.  The real winners are the students at Baliarpur School in Bangladesh, and HB's partner school in Haiti.  Close to $14,000 was raised by the first annual HB Woodlawn run/walk.  The partner schools will recieve water, sanitation an hygiene education thanks to the efforts of the students.  What a treat to see one of our schools in action. Kudos to teacher Cecelia Allen for her dedication and inspiration to her school. 

Other news:
Two weeks ago, Rockford School in Minnesota, hosted a walk for water and a carnival.  They successfully raised over $11,000.  Not only are walks successful, but they also give students and others the opportunity to "feel" the distance that others walk multiple times daily for water.  Students may also gather donations from family and friends, which ultimately helps the school reach their funding goal for their partner school. At Rockford, students were challenged to EACH raise $30 to walk.  240 students achieved that goal. 

Centerville Elementary School in Minnesota raised over $2900 over the course of the year by sponsoring several engaging events, while teaching about the water crisis.  Their culminating event ended with their principal- a really good sport- being "slimed" with something green and gooey.  (see the video on our facebook and youtube page) The great news- he asked the kids why they were doing  the activity, and most hands went up with the answer- to help our partner school have water. 

Every penny, nickel, dime and dollar that is raised by schools makes a difference.  Whether your project raises five dollars or five thousand dollars, we hope that kids are learning about the water crisis, and are realizing that they can change the world.

Enjoy springtime. The school year is winding down.  Don't forget about H2O for Life.  Drop us an email, and commit to your project for next fall.  We'll work through the summer to gather all the materials that you need when you return to school after the break.

Thanks for all that each and everyone of you are doing.  We can change the world, and we can do it by providing a needed water, sanitation and hygiene education intervention one school at a time.

Walk for Water- around the country

On April 16th, many H2O for Life schools celebrated Global Youth Service Day by hosting "Walks for Water" at their schools, local parks, and in Minnesota, at Target Field, home of the TWINS Baseball team.
Schools raised awareness of water issues worldwide, and raised funds for global school partners through donations.  Many of our partners supplied water containers so that participants could experience the hardship of carrying water for distances. All walks had their own individual flavor and fun.  Some were blessed with great weather, and some, not so much!  The walk in Minnesota competed with 2 inches of snow and 40 degree weather. All agreed that carrying water was difficult, and that rain, snow, hot sun and other variables made it even more challenging.

Thanks for all the schools and organizations that hosted walks for water, and for those that are still planning walks before the end of the school year.  Your efforts will change lives.

H2O for Life recently received a call from a teacher in Colorado. To paraphrase, she said, I met one of your presenters at the National Social Studies Convention.  He made a statement that resonated with me and also with my students. He said "Ask your students this question.  Do you want to be the student in the class that just filled a seat, or do you want to be the student that changed the world."  Her students have stepped up, and are working to make a difference!  Challenge your students, your youth group, your church and yourself to be the person that changes the world.  You know you can!