Save Water, Secure the Future!

You can make a difference by donating today:

The 7 and 8 year olds (second graders) at Unionville Elementary in

the small town of Unionville, Indiana have been reading about global

access to clean water and sanitation and have become inspired to take

action to make the world a better place. Their goal is to raise enough

money to build a well in the African country of Burkina Faso. They chose

this location because they read the book, The Water Princess, which is

based on the true story of super-model Georgie Badiel and instantly

connected with the book’s main character, Gie Gie. In the story, Gie Gie and

her grandmother had to walk three miles to fetch water every day because

their village didn’t have access to water.

After reading the book, the students participated in a simulation in

which they gathered and carried water from our school’s pond to their

classroom. Their trip was only ⅓ of a mile, but it felt like it was impossible

to some. They were really concerned about how Gie Gie and her

grandmother must have felt doing this every day. After these two

experiences students said, “We want to help!”

Our P.T.O. agreed to help students realize their dreams by putting

together this Go Fund Me page. The students would need to raise $10,000

to accomplish this goal. As their teacher, I am so inspired by the children’s

desire to do good and their belief in their ability to make an impact. I want

to empower students to aim high and to pursue greatness.

Money raised as a result of their ambitious goal would be donated to

the Georgie Badiel Foundation. This foundation works with communities to

install wells. They also train women to be the engineers of the wells to keep

them running for the future.

In addition to this Go Fund Me page, the students will be learning

about the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, organizing fundraisers

in our school, and will be teaching the students of our school the

importance of conserving and keeping our waterways clean. The students

will also be investigating and creating a solution to water run-off and

pollution surrounding our school.

Both of these projects will help the students to think “glocally”

(globally and locally) and will help them realize even small actions can

make a big difference. At Unionville we believe students are capable of

making changes to our world now. They don’t have to wait until they grow

up. They have great ideas, we just need to listen. Please consider donating

to their cause. Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Kelly Misheikis and the students of Room 105