St. Olaf students make bowls for clean water in Kenya

Saint Olaf School

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While learning about the African continent, Saint Olaf School second-graders discovered that most African families don’t have running water in their homes and that most villages in Kenya don’t even have a freshwater well. They were shocked to hear that girls their age (6 or 7 years old) have to walk up to 15 miles to a watering hole, fill a bucket, and carry that heavy bucket back to their village. They also learned that many African children their age don’t go to school, not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t have a school building to go to.

"It’s sad they don’t have enough money to go to school," Ashton Scholz said.

"The water is so muddy they have to hold their nose when they drink it," said Julie Rickerd, wrinkling her nose.

Grace Garrison said, "It would be nice if kids didn’t have to walk so far to bring water to their village."

As a result of their research, the 18 students in Laurie Jacobs’ second-grade class decided to help the children of Kenya. They researched Koins for Kenya, an organization that helps impoverished families in Kenya by building schools, wells, water cisterns and health dispensaries.

To raise money for this organization, the St. Olaf second-graders created, glazed and fired clay bowls that were sold during a classroom museum walk during Catholic Schools Week. They also sold fresh popped popcorn to supplement their charitable donations.

Originally, the St. Olaf students hoped to raise enough money to purchase some desks ($40), books ($100) or perhaps enough for a one-year scholarship for one Kenyan student ($400).

The second-graders expended every effort possible to make this project a success. And succeed they did; when all the money was counted, the total was $1,337.03.

The excitement was contagious. When they called a representative to Koins for Kenya and told her how much money was made, she was thrilled. The students told her they wanted to build a cistern but didn’t have enough money because the cistern cost $3,500. They were told that the money would be put into an account until there is enough money to buy a cistern, and the name St. Olaf Catholic School will be placed on the cistern.

Second-grader Hannah Flynn summed up the class experience: "Kenya will be happy and God will be happier."

Courtesy of St. Olaf School