Imagine a world where the quest for clean water sends you on a mile-long trek every single day. A place where vending machines filled with Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke are nowhere to be found. Such a bleak scenario is a daily reality for more than 800 communities in Africa. Additionally, these communities continue to be ravaged by HIV/AIDS.
A national campaign to increase awareness about the plight of these African communities is breaking ground at Virginia Tech. Blood: Water Mission will have students literally walk a mile in the shoes of the less fortunate and experience the reality that too many African communities experience on a daily basis.
It kicks off its campus-wide campaign today with “Forty Days of Water,” where supporters opt to drink only tap water for 40 days and donate the money they would have used on other beverages to Blood:Water Mission in order to help build clean water projects for communities in Uganda. At the close of this 40-day period, the campaign concludes with the Water Walk, where students can experience what some people in Africa go through on a daily basis to retrieve clean water. Campaigners will walk a mile in distance from the Drillfield to the Duck Pond, carrying back water to symbolize their united effort to improve conditions in African communities.
Sam Choi, a junior accounting major and one of the students heading up the campaign at Tech, believes the 40 day campaign will definitely raise awareness about the conditions in parts of Africa.
“With this effort we’re starting off small, but we’re hoping it raises enough awareness to make a bigger impact down the road,” Choi said. “We take water for granted but it’s essential for life and there are many who don’t have that luxury. It’s mostly about opening people’s eyes to the plight of others. The money will follow somewhere down the road.”
Nationally, the Blood:Water Mission has been empowering people to be a small part of a larger story through its five core values: community, responsibility, integrity, dignity and teachability. Through partnership with other organizations, grassroots approaches that maximize cost effectiveness and funded programs for both water sanitation and HIV/AIDS treatment clinics in Africa, the organization believes it is doing everything in its power to provide African communities with a new hope.
The campaign on Tech’s campus was brought about through inspiration. Several Tech students were introduced to the campaign through a pastor at their home church and felt that it was necessary for the Blacksburg community to be enlightened as well.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb 17 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 3 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Come on out to Cici's Pizza in Christiansburg tonight (Feb 17th, 5-9pm). 10% of sales will go to Blood:Water Mission.
Reply to this Top
Hey if want to donate money where can we go to do that.
Reply to this Top
If you want to donate money than you can do it directly through the organization (Bloodwater Mission) or contact me at joycek9@vt.edu
Reply to this Top