Spring Break
'Two weeks' group strives for African wells
By: Travis Robinson
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: News
Give up, keep track, donate and, in the process, drink nothing but water for two weeks. That's what countless of Texas A&M students began doing Monday in an effort to raise money for 1000 Wells TAMU.
The fundraiser, "Two Weeks of Sacrifice," is organized by 1000 Wells TAMU and runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 10. Students pledge to give up all beverages except for water, keep track of the money they save and donate it to 1000 Wells TAMU. The money goes toward bringing clean drinking water to impoverished communities in Africa by building clean-water wells.
1000 Wells TAMU began in 2007 when a handful of students went to a Derek Webb concert. Touched by a speech given at the concert and emboldened with a passion for helping others, the students set out to make a difference, and they pushed to have 1000 Wells become a recognized student organization.
Junior finance major Forrest Webber described the reasoning behind the need for clean water, using AIDS as an example.
"Everyone knows how AIDS works…it's called an 'Immune Deficiency Syndrome,' which means no one actually dies of AIDS, they die of some other disease. I learned that more than 90 percent of the disease that kills Africans could be stopped if only they had access to clean water," Webber said.
1000 Wells is an organization dedicated to running a local campaign for the broader, national 1000 Wells Project run by the organization Blood: Water Mission. The organization's mission statement explains that it aims to increase awareness for Africa throughout A&M, Bryan and College Station and to provide an outlet for students at the University to be better informed on global and local issues they can be involved with.
Sophomore sociology major Becky-Anne Wilson said that her motivation comes from her compassion for others.
"I think it gives a great perspective of what people deal with every day, and even though we complain about only being limited to water, we don't think twice about having it," Wilson said.
The fundraiser, "Two Weeks of Sacrifice," is organized by 1000 Wells TAMU and runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 10. Students pledge to give up all beverages except for water, keep track of the money they save and donate it to 1000 Wells TAMU. The money goes toward bringing clean drinking water to impoverished communities in Africa by building clean-water wells.
1000 Wells TAMU began in 2007 when a handful of students went to a Derek Webb concert. Touched by a speech given at the concert and emboldened with a passion for helping others, the students set out to make a difference, and they pushed to have 1000 Wells become a recognized student organization.
Junior finance major Forrest Webber described the reasoning behind the need for clean water, using AIDS as an example.
"Everyone knows how AIDS works…it's called an 'Immune Deficiency Syndrome,' which means no one actually dies of AIDS, they die of some other disease. I learned that more than 90 percent of the disease that kills Africans could be stopped if only they had access to clean water," Webber said.
1000 Wells is an organization dedicated to running a local campaign for the broader, national 1000 Wells Project run by the organization Blood: Water Mission. The organization's mission statement explains that it aims to increase awareness for Africa throughout A&M, Bryan and College Station and to provide an outlet for students at the University to be better informed on global and local issues they can be involved with.
Sophomore sociology major Becky-Anne Wilson said that her motivation comes from her compassion for others.
"I think it gives a great perspective of what people deal with every day, and even though we complain about only being limited to water, we don't think twice about having it," Wilson said.
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