Florida A&M alumna Sarah Lee is raising funds to have a well drilled in Africa.
Lee is working with The Water Project, which is a non-profit organization that creates access to clean water in sub-Saharan Africa. With the money Lee collects, a community in Africa will be able to access clean water to drink and wash with.
“This was something that was dear to my heart and I really wanted to do,” Lee said. “I do have the leverage and contacts and network in the community, both on campus and outside of campus, that I could really reach my goal of $5,000.”
Lee has created her own webpage, and hopes to reach her fundraising goal by the year 2015.
According to Water.Org, there are about 345 million people without access to clean water in Africa today.
Joshua Thomas, a senior pre-law and political science student from Pensacola, Fla., believes that raising money to build a well is a selfless endeavor.
“I have heard of the work that the project has done before,” Thomas said. “I would be interested in helping. I think the Water Project has the potential to greatly benefit people in Africa with little access to water.”
Having clean and accessible water is an issue here in Florida as well.
On Feb. 18, activists from around the state gathered at a rally at the Capitol to protect and restore Florida’s springs rivers and bays.
Lee was inspired to take on this task after representatives from The Water Project contacted her in 2010, and realized the importance of serving underprivileged people.
After graduating two years ago and becoming the Program Assistant for the Legal Scholars Program, Lee found time to fulfill her pledge to help others. She is now preparing to petition her peers and supporters to help sponsor the project.
Nandi Sevillian, a fourth-year electrical engineering student from Buffalo, N.Y., was glad to hear the news of a Rattler helping others in real time, not just virtually generating buzz.
“That seems fantastic that someone wants to help by actions and not just liking of a page,” Sevillian said.
To donate to Sarah Lee’s Water Project visit: TheWaterProject.org