A new well will be built in Ethiopia thanks to students at Signal Mountain Middle/High School, which recently partnered with Healing Hands International to host its second annual Walk4Water event.
Walk4Water is a 4-mile fundraising walk intended to simulate the experience of women and children in developing countries who must walk an average of 4 miles in order to obtain clean drinking water for their families. As an International Baccalaureate school, SMMHS focuses on learning by doing and experiencing, said Jennifer McGann, sixth-grade ancient studies teacher. So students lugged large jugs filled with water as they did laps around the school track, giving them an idea of the effort required to get clean water in some parts of the world.
The project ties in with the sixth- and ninth-graders' study of ancient history, specifically early river valley civilizations and the necessity of water for human beings. McGann said the project also connected with the sixth-graders' study of the book "A Long Walk to Water," which focuses on the current struggle to obtain clean water in Sudan and Ethiopia.
Through the walk, the 400 participating students raised 100 percent of their $7,500 goal to build the well by promoting the event through posters and social media.
Last year, when the school hosted its first Walk4Water, students raised $6,000 to build a well in Haiti. At that time Healing Hands stated that a child dies every 21 seconds because of unclean water; and this year, that statistic went up to 26 seconds, said McGann.
"This year we were able to show the tangible results of what we did last year," she said, referencing the well in Haiti.
While the students have already raised the money needed for the well in Ethiopia, additional funds are still being accepted and will go toward repairs on other wells. Visit hhi.org/walk4water/signal-mountain-tn-2017 to donate.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.