June 5, is World Environment Day, and this year’s campaign focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.
According to the UN, “only 0.5 per cent of water on Earth is useable and available freshwater. Climate change is dangerously affecting that supply.”
“Lakes, rivers and wetlands hold 20–30 per cent of global carbon, despite occupying only 5–8 per cent of its land surface.”
One place that is being helped to get access to fresh water is Robekeh Village in Moyamba, Sierra Leone. This is thanks to children from St Joseph’s Upper Primary School, who donated enough money to Action 4 Schools to cover the cost of well no.103. As a result, 650 people are now benefitting from fresh water.
In a video from Sierra Leone, the recipients of the well thanked the pupils, the school’s headteacher, Ewen Clinton, and teacher Elaine Gomez.
“Thank you very much for your generosity and thank you very much for your kindness,” they said.
Their old water source was right “in the bush” and the children had to walk through mud to collect water from the dirty stream.
It was a “desperate situation”, they said. A mother in the village, Adama Kome, said, “I say many thanks to Action4Schools for the water well they have provided for us.”
“Before, where we used to go to fetch water, we struggled a lot and it is far from the village. And the water was very dirty.” “But now we have pure drinking water in our village, thanks to Action4Schools.”
Before this, the children would often be late for school. This is no longer the case.
They added that their lives have been “transformed” thanks to the well and the pupils of St Joseph’s Upper Primary School. They also made a plea for anyone who can help to donate money to Action4Schools, so that they can help more people and “save more lives”.
