By Abigail Loop
Reporter
Baylor students will soon be able to use a new online platform to donate to The Wells Project and provide clean water for communities across the world.
A student-led organization, The Wells Project focuses on bringing clean water to people across the world whose lives are being affected by the poverty and sickness that unclean water brings.
This year, money for The Wells Project will be raised not only through fundraiser events such as 10 Days, an event where people drink nothing but water for 10 days and donate the money they have saved on other drinks, but through CrowdRise, an online fundraising site that allows people to find a cause and make a donation. Last year, The Wells Project raised money to bring wells to communities in Rwanda. The organization will be raising money once again for communities in Rwanda with the help of other college campuses across America who are involved with The Wells Project.
Henry Proegler, director of Advocacy at Living Water International, the nonprofit organization that adopted The Wells Project as its official college campaign, said by having this new way of fundraising, more people will be able to get clean water.
“People have been able to donate before online but we’ve never had a platform like CrowdRise for The Wells Project that allows students to invite their friends and family to support their efforts in helping providing clean water,” Proegler said. “What makes this whole thing work is students taking action. That’s also what so great about 10 Days. The actions that we take do matter and can make a difference.”
Proegler said The Wells Project will raise most of the money through online fundraising and during the 10 Days event happening across college campuses on Nov. 11-22.
Houston senior Sarah Baker, a former intern of Living Water International, said the more money that is earned, the more people The Wells Project and Living Water International will be able to help.
“The goal this year is to raise $100,000 to go towards building wells through Living Water International,” Baker said. “It’s around $40,000 to build one well.”
Cedar Park junior Molly Moorhead, president of The Wells Project at Baylor, said besides Crowd Rise, students have an array of ways to donate money to help fund the cause.
“Living Water can also take donations and so can The Wells Project through an app for the 10 Days,” Moorhead said. “I think the biggest thing to be doing is to get the word out about all the ways people can donate. So many people drink dirty water, and as a result of that, they can’t go to school, women can’t work because they have to walk to the wells, and people get sick and die.”
Rosenberg senior Matthew Reid, who is involved with The Wells Project at Baylor, said it’s not only important that people donate to The Wells Project to save lives, but to become aware of what is happening in the world.
“We try to do a lot of things to get people to come out and talk with them about the water crisis,” Reid said. “The 10 Days event is our main event this fall, but we’ll also have concerts, a Pancake Palooza and other events throughout the semester. We want people to become aware of these people’s needs.”
Reid said last year the fundraising was a huge success.
“I believe a lot of people were impacted,” Reid said. “I think that people here in the Baylor community are very willing to give to others and by participating in The Wells Project. It allows people to help out a community without having to go all the way to Rwanda.”
Baker said by people donating and becoming aware of the Wells Project and enabling Living Water International to bring wells to Rwanda, they could really make a difference.
“When The Wells Project raises money and Living Water International goes to build the wells, they also do a wash program for the people there to teach them about sanitation and hygiene,” Baker said. “The Wells Project is so important because just by donating it’s helping communities move away from poverty and sickness and get the water they need.”
To learn more about The Wells Project or about making a donation, visit www.wellsproject.com or email Molly_Moorhead@baylor.edu.
