My first year of teaching was overwhelming, to say the least. I had all of the tools I needed, but I was not prepared for what was to come.
My class of 27 students had needs as varied as the homes they came from. Some entered the classroom full of hope, others dread. Some wore shiny shoes and backpacks full of new supplies, others entered empty-handed with clothes that barely fit. Not all of them had a celebratory, first-day pancake feast prepared for them. But all of them had water to drink.
In South Sudan, before the civil war, there were more than one million eligible children not enrolled in primary school. Only 6% of 13-year-old girls moved on to secondary school.South Sudanese girls were twice as likely to pass away during childbirth than graduate from school.
The number one obstacle that keeps children from going to school in South Sudan? Lack of clean, accessible water.
We are moving from summer into school season. My girls have already started. With all that goes into the start of school, I am mindful of the many girls in South Sudan looking for a close-by well and chance to go to school.
Thank you to all of you who responded to the call to give generously to our #summertime campaign. We raised $32,774 beating our $30,000 goal.
Let's keep the momentum going and give more water and help another young lady go to school. And another, and another, until we finish the job.
Educate a girl, give water now!
Steve, Bishop and the entire WiB team, are all so grateful for the generosity of our Water is Basic community, working together, day in and day out, for the people of South Sudan.
Carrie Ward - Executive Director
