The H2O For Life Campaign at The Haverford School in Haverford Pennsylvania has official closed. With the support of the entire Haverford community, the second grade team raised $7,628.50 for Kimeji Primary School in Tanzania.

 
The campaign was kicked off for H2O on World Water Day with a Drop in the Bucket Brigade. The second grade boys lined the walkway as our Middle and Upper School Divisions passed through our gauntlet dropping in coins to help “Make a Change” in the lives of their peers in Africa. Afterward, they visited the classrooms in the Lower School to collect any coins that the Lower School community brought in to support the efforts. The boys took their buckets back to the classrooms and sorted and counted the money in teams. They raised over $700 in one half hour, but as importantly they raised awareness of the global need for clean water throughout the Haverford Community.
     
The boys took their responsibility as global citizens seriously and participated in their own ways. Then on April 20th, 2012, the entire second grade team laced up their sneakers and each team member grabbed two gallon jugs full of water and headed to Sabol Field, our school track, to walk in the shoes of the children from Kimeji Primary and all children who have to walk for a clean drink of water. Later that evening the Haverford Community was invited to attend a Bingo Night hosted by the combined efforts of The Haverford Upper School Service Learning Team and Agnes Irwin, our sister school. $1,140 of our total was raised in that joint effort and generously donated to the second grade class for our Walk for Water Campaign.
      
They not only reached their goal of $5,000 but surpassed it!

Thank you The Haverford School! Keep up the good work!

This month, ABC News featured H2O for Life on a special broadcast to highlight their work to improve Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in schools around the world.  H2O for Life matches schools in the United States with schools in developing countries to raise funds for improving WASH conditions in schools in need.  In the video above, learn how H2O for Life worked with HB Woodlawn High School in Arlington, Virginia, USA to raise $14,000 for proper handwashing stations, toilets and running water for a school in Bangladesh.

At the Support My School Telethon this Sunday, GWC Program Director Maurie Carr presented a check on behalf of GWC member H2O for Life that will support WASH interventions in eight schools in the state of Gujara.  Watch the video of the check presentation below!

For more information on GWC’s involvement with Support My School, click here.

Today, GWC, along with members Merck and H2O for Life, announced support for the Coca-Cola NDTV Support My School campaign, an initiative to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and other facilities in schools across India.

The Support My School campaign is expected to directly impact at least 50,000 students in 100 schools across India.  Each of the 100 schools will receive improved access to water and gender-specific sanitation, infrastructure for water conservation and rainwater harvesting, landscape improvement, library construction, teacher training and new sports facilities.

Merck and H2O for Life have each committed to funding eight schools in India.

Through Support My School, The Merck Company Foundation is already supporting water, sanitation and hygiene improvements in eight schools in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states and among the worst in water and sanitation coverage.

H2O for Life, a leading U.S.-based service learning organization, and its student partners are joining the campaign to provide funds for water and sanitation facilities in eight schools in the state of Gujarat with matching grants from other campaign supporters.

Other campaign supporters include UN-HABITAT, CAF India, the Pearson Foundation and Sulabh International.  In addition to the work directly in schools, campaign partners seek to increase awareness among all Indians about the necessity of water and sanitation in schools.

[The awareness campaign] is expected to reach 10 million people and will culminate on Sunday, September 18^th, with a one-day live telethon broadcast on Indian national TV.  Viewers from the United States can access a live broadcast of the telethon at www.NDTV.com.

Read the full press release.

GWC member H2O for Life continues to work with schools in the United States to connect them with schools in the developing world to fund WASH projects.  The organization focuses both on raising awareness of the issue among American students and providing WASH in schools for students in need around the world.

Recently, two U.S. schools completed projects to raise money for the organization.  H-B Woodlawn School hosted a Water for Life Walk last month in suburban Washington, DC.  More than 300 people participated in the event, raising over $13,000 to support WASH in schools in Haiti and Bangladesh.  Read more about the walk on the H2O for Life website.

St. Anthony Middle School in H2O for Life’s home state of Minnesota held several fundraisers to support water and sanitation projects in Kirangari Primary School in Kenya.  Their fundraisers, including a silent auction and a dodgeball tournament, raised $10,000 for H2O for Life.  Read an article about their efforts in the St. Paul Bulletin-News.

According to UNICEF, over half the world’s schools lack adequate sanitation and safe drinking water.  Water, sanitation and hygiene are crucial for protecting child health and also safeguard cognitive development, promote school attendance and increase positive learning outcomes.  To learn more about the central role of WASH in education, see the GWC Resources page.

November 10, 2010

GWC member H20 for Life will be featured on “Be the Change: Save a Life,” a new yearlong series on global health which was recently announced by ABC News. The series will discuss the many diseases and health conditions that disproportionately afflict the world’s poorest people. ABC News will invest more than $4.5 million in the series which will also be supported by a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The new series will begin December 2010 and continue throughout 2011. Led by “World News” anchor, Diane Sawyer, and ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor, Dr. Richard Besser, the series will kick-off with the global water crisis as the first topic.

In the segment featuring H20 for Life, Ms. Cecilia Allen’s class at H.B. Woodlawn Secondary School speaks with a class in Bangladesh that they are supporting through H20 for Life. During the call, the students excitedly discussed fundraising opportunities that would help to provide access to water and sanitation for their new friends in Bangladesh, including a walk-a-thon, bake sale, car wash, and a “spare change for change” jar. The motivation and enthusiasm emanating from the students was inspirational, as they spoke of becoming global citizens and the importance of doing something to make a difference in the world. One student said, “Now that we are aware of this problem, we cannot ignore it. We have the resources to help, and that is just what we are going to do.” Despite being continents apart, the Bangladeshi and American students promised to become pen pals after they discovered many similarities with each other.

H2O for Life is an innovative, non-profit organization which connects schools in the United States with schools in developing countries to complete WASH in Schools projects. Students learn about the global water crisis through service-learning curriculum and build a passion to raise funds to bring WASH to their partner school. 100 percent of all funds raised by the schools go to their partner school and the implementing NGO matches their contribution. In the process, American students become more knowledgeable and engaged in creating a better global community.

Perhaps Ms. Allen’s class said it best: “We are very fortunate to have running water and separate bathrooms, why wouldn’t we want to help others? And besides, it’s fun!”

To be connected with a school in the developing world, go to H2O for Life’s website and follow their simple guidelines. Click here for H2O for Life’s Website

September 22, 2010

On September 10th, 2010, Coca-Cola South Africa, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and the South African Department of Basic Education joined together to announce a new initiative, RAIN Water for Schools (RWS). This USD $4.3 million project aims to provide 100 schools across South Africa with water, sanitation, and hygiene education (WASH). At least 80,000 students are expected to gain access to WASH through this project.

WASH in schools has been shown to be an effective tool for combating waterborne diseases while increasing school attendance, especially among young girls. The advantages of educating school children about WASH can reach well beyond the classroom, as students transfer lessons learned in school to families and friends, promoting a healthier lifestyle for the entire community.

The project is already well underway, as nine schools have already received integrated WASH interventions. The remaining 91 schools will receive WASH interventions over the next two years, through the coordination of South African NGO Mvula Trust. The sustainability of school water and sanitation infrastructure is a priority of RWS, and will be promoted through community participation and a pioneering model for government-led operations and maintenance.

The impact of these programs extends beyond Africa through RWS’s partnership with H20 for Life. H2O for Life, an American NGO, will be coordinating a school-to-school service-learning activity to allow students in the United States to learn about water issues and raise funds to support WASH interventions at schools identified by RWS.

Partnerships such as RWS are critical in making progress on the water and sanitation crisis. The pioneering RAIN Water for Schools partnership exemplifies the opportunities presented by bringing key stakeholders together for unprecedented impact.

Read More Here

Download the Full Press Release