El Rodeo School Students Raise Funds for Clean African Water

El Rodeo School in Beverly Hills recently hosted a UNICEF service-learning assembly to learn about the growing concern of water quality and access to clean water in much of the world.

According to UNICEF, 768 million people use unsafe water sources.

Students learned one of the ways UNICEF helps those in need in developing countries is to locate safe groundwater resources that are not contaminated then provide a toolkit for villages to build their own water pump and well.

“After the assembly about UNICEF, our class was incredibly inspired to help out children in the world who have needs beyond what we could fathom," said El Rodeo third grade teacher Ms. Greene.

The class decided they would embark on a fundraiser entitled “Wells for Africa” and each student would try their best to collect $20 for a class goal of $400 to buy a water pump for a school or village. In return, the class would receive a pizza party if they met the goal. The students tried their best to attain it.

They asked family and neighbors for donations and did jobs to help raise the money, such as helping out around the house and chores. In the end, the kids raised more than $500.

“The amazing students in Ms. Greene’s class decided that the money they were going to spend on their pizza party was of better use if donated to UNICEF," said Kerry Mazor, service learning coordinator and middle school science teacher. "And so they did."

For more information about UNICEF, visit its website.

In the photo in alphabetical order: Alphabetically: Valentina Acosta, Natalie Antin, Breanna Arianpour, Simon Ferris, Natalya Forys, Noah Gabbaypour, Eliot Hauptschein, Ethan Khalili, Sebastian Montealegre, Ethan Rahban, Brooke Ruttenberg, Edward Sentoso, Joseph Simon, Gabby Sirota, Rich Troiano, Lindsey Wooster, Liel Yosian