An opportunity to have a global impact
We are students at T.C. Williams who have decided to turn these unprecedented times into an opportunity to have a global impact. We often take our access to clean water for granted. Since learning about children just like us at schools like the Excel Junior School in Uganda, whose only option is to drink dirty water, we have realized that access to clean water is one of the greatest blessings. According to UNICEF, every single day 6,000 children die of water related diseases. We want to be a part of the change that will save countless lives. We will be walking 5 kilometers while carrying 6 liters of water to represent the average distance that women and girls across the globe must walk everyday to bring their families water. Any donation that you make based on our completion of this walk will have a lifelong impact on the children at the Excel Junior School.
– submitted by Alexandria Young Environmental Activists
You can support their efforts here
About Excel Junior School, Uganda:
For the 500 students and staff at Excel Junior School, the single most needed school supply is clean water. Every day, children make the 15 minute walk through dense vegetation and along steep pathways to collect drinking water from a run-off pit which has a strong odor and a color leaving no question as to the safety of its water. Students routinely find livestock and other animals already drinking from and relieving themselves next to the water source by the time they arrive. In order to safeguard the health and well being of their young students and redeem lost classroom time, the head staff at Excel Junior School have requested a rainwater collection system from our implementing partner, the Ugandan Water Project. By equipping Excel Junior School with health, safety, and greater educational opportunities through a rainwater collection system, we will have a lasting impact on the school’s current and future students.
Project Proposal:
Our implementing partner, UWP, will erect a 10,000 liter polyethylene tank on a base made of brick, hard core and cement. Once cured, the crew will then place the tank on the base and make an overflow hole in the top of the structure and attach a pipe to it that will extend six inches beyond the perimeter of the base. Crew members will also attach face boards to the roof of the building adjacent to the tank in order to create a suitable surface to which they can attach the gutters that will allow water to flow from the metal roof to the tank. Just before the outlet pipe reaches the tank, a “T” joint will be inserted to create a first flush, a rudimentary filtration system that reduces the amount of debris and contaminants that enter the tank. The crew will then construct a protective barrier around the tank and first flush, as well as a tap stand located slightly downhill of the tank. The rainwater collection system will be paired with four Sawyer Point One water filters in order to ensure that all water collection from the tank will be safe for drinking.
