Watts Students Sacrifice to Save Lives in Africa

March 16, 2009 - PRLog -- On Thursday, March 19th, Edwin Markham Middle School students are giving-up their snacks, munchies and lunches, while parents and faculty are forgoing their morning lattes, breakfasts, and lunches to provide clean, safe water for West Africans. Markham Middle School (1650 E. 104th St., Los Angeles) has partnered with Global Fast and Generosity Water to build a clean water well in Liberia, one of the poorest counties in the world. Students, faculty, staff and parents will donate the money they would have spent on a meal or snack that day. Their $1500 goal will be matched by Generosity Water and used to build a well that will provide 20 years of clean water for an estimated 500 people in Liberia.

Clean, safe water is the number one need of the global poor. In poor nations around the world, some 3,900 children die each day from diseases carried by unsafe drinking water. All told, some 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and a total of 2.6 billion lack adequate water for sanitation. Markham Middle School will set a great example next week as a community working towards a solution by making a simple one-day sacrifice on March 19th.

Markham Middle School’s 8th grade AVID class (Advancement via Individual Determination) is leading this 1500 student and 100 faculty and staff-strong community through this fundraiser. Students have made posters and are distributing flyers throughout the school and Watts neighborhood to promote the event. Timel Lowe, an 8th grade AVID student added, "I am excited to do something to help the world. I will tell my kids and grandkids I was a part of this."

Precious Taylor, an administrator at Markham Middle School stated, “Everyone wanted to help. In a day and time with so much going on, we are trying to bring a different culture to Markham.” She added, “We are all we have. Whatever you can do to help someone else is monumental to your own story.” To commemorate the fundraiser, students and faculty will meet on March 19th at 3pm at the school library to discuss the African water crisis with representatives from Global Fast and Generosity Water and listen to a speaker from Liberia.

“These young students are proving that we all have something to give. We can all save lives around the world. Their sacrifice to save lives sends a great message,” comments Rich Halvorson, founder and president, Global Fast.

About Global Fast
The mission of Global Fast is to save lives through fasting and charity. Global Fast changes the world through inspiring personal sacrifice and deeper compassion for others. Our aim is to create both more charity and more deeply charitable people – thereby creating both local and global impact. By partnering with the most efficient, innovative and sustainable charities, Global Fast empowers individuals and communities to create significant global change by giving water, freedom and opportunity in the areas they are most needed. Global Fast was inspired by the call to create change through fasting in Isaiah 58. Global Fast directs 100% of all fasting donations to the area of need designated by the faster. For more information log onto www.globalfast.org.

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Global Fast empowers individuals and communities to create global change by giving water, freedom and opportunity in the areas they are most needed. Global Fast directs 100% of all fasting donations to the area of need designated by the faster.