Kyrene Altadeña students raise $2,000 to continue making a difference in South Sudan

Posted April 2023

On April 6, seventh-grade students at Kyrene Altadeña Middle School walked to help make a difference for families in South Sudan. The fundraiser, now in its seventh year, will help provide clean water for impoverished communities.

“Altadeña’s staff builds leadership through empathy,” said seventh-grade ELA teacher Christine Badgley. “Our annual Water Walk is a great example of our LEAD principles, to lead by example in our community, which encourages our students to become global citizens through giving.”

During students’ English Language Arts class period, students each carried two gallons of water on a walk around the Altadeña track, raising money with each lap walked. In addition to fundraising, students were recreating the experience of a character in the book, “A Long Walk to Water.” The book tells the story of a young Sudanese girl who walks barefoot every day for hours to collect water.

“I love seeing the students participate and really get into it,” shared seventh-grade ELA teacher Tara Camarano. “I hear them say sometimes that they have a new appreciation for what life is like for others in South Sudan. That right there is the most rewarding thing!”

Each year, seventh-grade ELA teachers aim to raise at least $1,000 for the Water for South Sudan organization. The students exceeded their goal again this year and raised more than $2,000.

The funds help to build wells for Sudanese villages, where women and children walk an average of 3.7 miles per trip to collect water, which is often contaminated. According to Water for South Sudan, only one out of ten people there have access to basic sanitation. Since the fundraiser began, Altadeña Middle Schoolers have raised more than $13,000 and partially sponsor a well in South Sudan.