Going Global: St. Joe’s Helping to Build Water Well in Swaziland Village

St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy’s Service Club is working with the Thirst Project to help build a well in a Swaziland village.

A year and a half ago, the club decided to take a leap forward from local service projects and search for a global cause the members could work with.

After a lot of research, the club discovered the Thirst Project, whose mission is to help to build wells and latrines for Swaziland villages.

Not only do the wells provide the basic necessity of water, but the latrines help to increase sanitation within the villages.

Representatives were contacted by students and invited to the school to talk to the about the water crisis. During the visit, the students learned that many women and children, mostly girls, spend between six and eight hours a day carrying water.

“This is a problem that we don’t see directly, but when you learn about it it’s astounding,” said Shelly Mato, the club’s faculty adviser. “About a billion people in the world suffer from a lack of water.”

On average, people in Swaziland carry 5 gallons of water, weighing about 44 pounds, nearly 4 miles a day. A new well would greatly reduce that amount of time.

“It’s a way for us to be connected globally and to help with basic needs, but it also allows people to go to school,” said Mato. “Without the need to carry water, more children, especially women, will get to go to school.”

It costs $12,000 for the Thirst Project to build a well, with 100 percent of donations going toward that construction. Each well provides water to its village for 40 years.

The school’s fundraising effort is nearly half way to its goal, with just more than $5,800 raised already.

The funds have been raised through various events, all planned by the students. The club’s members also designed and printed postcards requesting donations to send to family members. In the fall, the club plans on sending out postcards to local businesses they think might like to donate to the cause.

“The club consists of 36 students, almost 25 percent of the student body,” said Mato. “They’ve come up with great ideas. We’re not completing this project quickly, but we’ve made a commitment and we’re going to finish it.”

Mato and the club have set the end of this upcoming school year as their deadline.

“The students have worked very hard on this fundraiser,” said Mato. “One of our students, Maggie Urban, has really spearheaded this project, and we want to finish it before she and her classmates graduate in the spring.”

For more information about the Thirst Project, visit www.thirstproject.org. To check the status of St. Joe’s fundraising efforts, visit www.stjoeacad.org.