JH raises awareness for African issues

by Bryan Stanford

Andy Erselius’s seventh grade geography class recently completed a project to raise awareness of factors that affect the people in Africa. 

The issues that students decided to present ranged from lacking clean water to fighting HIV and AIDS to providing education for women with needs. Other topics focused on blood diamonds, orphanages, the fight against malaria and provisions for the basic needs of people.

The criteria for the project was that students were to choose an issue that occurs in Africa that intrigued them. After that, they were to research the topic, find an organization that works toward that issue and present their findings to the class. Aliya Pargeon said, “After learning about the issues in Africa, I wanted to help children in Africa.”

The class wanted to raise money for an organization that the students presented. The class had a tough time deciding between Play for Hope, Girls Education Fund and Waves for Water. Play for Hope is an organization in Rwanda that is helping to build up youth that are in the shadows of the genocide of the 1990s through sports. Girls Education Fund helps women get the education they deserve. 

“I was looking for a project that students could present to their classmates that required them to learn about issues that some people in the United States take for granted,” Mr. Erselius commented. They decided to donate money to Waves for Water, an organization that provides portable water filters so people all over the world can receive clean water. 

The geography class was able to raise enough money to purchase a Family Use filter system that will provide enough clean water for 14 people for the rest of their lives.