Sophie D
The average American uses about 100 gallons of water daily. This is a crazy amount, considering most families in rural parts of third world countries only use 5 gallons. In the 7th grade water unit at Westridge School, we learned that many women and girls in third world countries travel an average of 3.5 miles daily to fetch 5 gallons of water. Most of the time, the water they fetch is contaminated with chemicals and even animal waste. There may also be bacteria and parasites in the water, such as the one that cause Cholera, Cyclosporiasis, Giardiasis, and Typhoid fever. Diarrhea is the main symptom of these diseases. 1.5 billion people are affected by water-related diseases. Every 90 second a child dies from a water-related disease. In a story called A Long Walk to Walk to Water, a girl named Nya (a south Sudanese girl) walks to the pond daily for seven months of the year. She is unable to go to school because fetching the water takes up most of the day, so she is uneducated. Nya represents many girls in South Sudan and in other third world countries. I couldn’t believe how difficult it is to get water for so many people. I hope that I can continue to help with this issue and tell people about this issue.
Holly
I have personally dealt with dehydration myself. Some people think that because I swallow so much pool water that that would count as water. I hadn’t had pure water in about a week and I wasn’t feeling too good. During a set I started to get dizzy everything started to get darker. When I realized what happening I asked if I could get water. Just that tiny drink of water made me feel better. Some facts about not clean are that, if the water not sanitized and you drink the water, you could risk life threatening diseases.
Something that surprised me was that even though Salva was a from the Dinka tribe, he still helped the Nuer tribe even though they were enemies! Salva showed bravery and courage. I think that was important because some of the people from the Nuer tribe could have tried to then start war even though they helped. When Salva introduced himself to Nya, I thought that he was very brave. He didn’t know what she was going to do.
Something that surprised me was that even though Salva was a from the Dinka tribe, he still helped the Nuer tribe even though they were enemies! Salva showed bravery and courage. I think that was important because some of the people from the Nuer tribe could have tried to then start war even though they helped. When Salva introduced himself to Nya, I thought that he was very brave. He didn’t know what she was going to do.
Jacqueline
Going through the Water Unit, the lesson has taught me many different valuable things to live and learn to appreciate. When I first heard about the fact that not everyone can have water in a push of a button, it shocked me. But I was even more surprised when I learned that women can walk over 3 miles to fetch water for their family every single day! These past few weeks have taught me a lot of life lessons, and I have learned to take notice on little problems that can affect a lot of people. Growing up in a city, I didn’t give a second thought about where exactly our water came from. What I didn’t realize is that how many people struggle to survive every day. Overall, I think that if we all work together, we can stop this small problem from growing to a bigger one!
Ariana
Water, the number one thing we are running out of in this world. Have you ever wondered how much water you are wasting right when you turn the faucet on, or when you wait for the shower water to turn water so you can step in? Estimates vary, but the average American uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day. Surprised? With that much water put to waste, 160 people could have drunken some clean water, especially in 3rd world countries. In places like Africa, 160 lives could have been saved. Almost 1 billion people don’t have access to safe, clean water and proper sanitization. 4,100 children die every day from diseases caused by contaminated water. There are often parasites and harmful chemicals that are detrimental to our body lurking in the water people drink in countries that have trouble accessing clean water. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramping, and even death. The baseline water stress in California is extremely high (40%-80%). Most of the US has an extremely high water stress level. A country such as the United States, Russia, Korea, Australia, and Canada have more than 95% access to an improved water source.71% of our planet is water. This may seem like a lot of water, but 97.5% of that water is salt water, water we cannot drink. Why? Because there would be more solutes than solvents that the cell, which causes the cells to become wizened. This results in even more thirst, causes skin to wrinkle, eyes to be soft, lack of saliva, etc. The remaining 3% is fresh water, but 2% of that is frozen. That means only 1% of the Earth’s water is drinkable, but for many people, it is difficult to access water. Water, something we all take for granted; maybe we should appreciate the water we are holding in our hands, because for people in countries that cannot access water easily, they have to walk miles just to access water, not even clean water. In Africa, women have to walk 70 miles to access the amount of water we use every day. Can you imagine walking 70 miles every day just to get water? I don’t think so.
I was really shocked to learn that so many people don’t even have access to something so simple like water, something we all take for granted. These people have to worry about this issue every day when they wake up, and knowing that they have to actually walk to have access to clean water really surprises me. This lesson has taught me to conserve more water because by doing the littlest things, so many lives can be saved. For people who try hard to conserve water, I hope you feel accomplished, because with your hard work, so many lives are saved, all because of you. We all appreciate it. In conclusion, I strongly urge you all to try your best to conserve water to save lives. Make your showers shorter, don’t use the hose every day, and don’t flush your toilet too often. These are ways that can help reduce the amount of water we use each day. Think of water as gold, or even more valuable than that, because water is valuable, it saves lives, and we cannot live without it. I hope you all put this into consideration. Even doing the smallest things can save more lives than you think, so please don’t waste water. Not even a drop!
I was really shocked to learn that so many people don’t even have access to something so simple like water, something we all take for granted. These people have to worry about this issue every day when they wake up, and knowing that they have to actually walk to have access to clean water really surprises me. This lesson has taught me to conserve more water because by doing the littlest things, so many lives can be saved. For people who try hard to conserve water, I hope you feel accomplished, because with your hard work, so many lives are saved, all because of you. We all appreciate it. In conclusion, I strongly urge you all to try your best to conserve water to save lives. Make your showers shorter, don’t use the hose every day, and don’t flush your toilet too often. These are ways that can help reduce the amount of water we use each day. Think of water as gold, or even more valuable than that, because water is valuable, it saves lives, and we cannot live without it. I hope you all put this into consideration. Even doing the smallest things can save more lives than you think, so please don’t waste water. Not even a drop!
Hadley
Anya
Isabella D-R
Do you think about your water and where it comes from? How lucky you are to be drinking fresh cold clean water. A lot of countries in the world have to fetch their own water that may be miles away from their home. Usually girls have to go get water for their families instead of boys. Why? Because men supposedly do all of the work in order to have a home and since girls have to get water which takes up most of their morning, they miss a lot of proper education. Most girls have to drop out of school so they can get water. In rural areas the average woman walks 3.7 miles to retrieve 5 gallons of water. And 5 gallons is the minimum amount of water each person needs per day to be healthy. So imagine you needing water for drinking, sanitation, cooking, food, etc. That is probably how families, mainly kids, get dehydrated very often.
The girls that find the water are in ponds or streams which are contaminated. Though there may be “special” pills to drop the water to clear all of the dirt, there still may be parasites, bacteria, viruses, and more. This could eventually lead to death because of waterborne disease. Nearly 20 percent of the 6.6 billion people in the world lack access to a supply of clean water, and 40 percent lack safe sanitation facilities. You can help fix this problem by donating your money to water wells that will be built in the middle of towns. Then many girls will have a proper education and would not have to walk miles to fetch water. You will save so many lives and make a difference.
The girls that find the water are in ponds or streams which are contaminated. Though there may be “special” pills to drop the water to clear all of the dirt, there still may be parasites, bacteria, viruses, and more. This could eventually lead to death because of waterborne disease. Nearly 20 percent of the 6.6 billion people in the world lack access to a supply of clean water, and 40 percent lack safe sanitation facilities. You can help fix this problem by donating your money to water wells that will be built in the middle of towns. Then many girls will have a proper education and would not have to walk miles to fetch water. You will save so many lives and make a difference.
Hana
On the very first day of the water unit, everyone got a chance to observe pond water through a microscope. We carefully applied a small drop of the pond water to the glass slide and plopped a cover on. Then, after a bit of twisting knobs and adjusting the slide, we were able to see something. It was a small amoeba that, upon seeing the shape, we called New Jersey. We experimented with new samples and more adjusting and soon got other results. There was a cluster of small orbs, which were cells. True, all these things were considered living, but what was really cool was the worm. Originally, we had thought that it was only a small hair or piece of lint, but it began to squirm. Our science teacher moved over to us and inspected this moving hair or lint. She clarified that it was indeed a worm. To think that that and more could be living in something we consume every day is frightening. It really set the stage for the desperate water conditions we were to learn about. But, we didn’t just learn about people around the world. We learned about our water usage. And we were definitely using more than the five gallons of a child in Africa. I use an average of 174.875 gallons a day. That would be about 34.975, 3.7 mile trips just to get myself water every day. It is amazing how we can take the water that pours out at the push of a handle, when girls in developing countries have to walk miles to get unclean water. But, their lives are not utterly depressing and horrible. They have fun, enjoy themselves, and dance. Thanks to the kind daughter of the school’s dance teacher, we got to learn African harvest dances. After plenty of hard work and practice we got the dance down. We did youthful jumping, chopped, and showed off our feminine side. Stepping into the unusually crisp Southern Californian air, still panting from the exertion, we walked to our next class.
I think that the impact of clean water really hit me the day we examined pond water. To see all these living, sometimes moving, things in water was, while fascinating, quite frightening. Thinking about someone drinking those organisms was even more disturbing. The small things we do can really make a difference. Simply building a small well can improve the lives of many people, especially children, who often die from water related diseases.
I think that the impact of clean water really hit me the day we examined pond water. To see all these living, sometimes moving, things in water was, while fascinating, quite frightening. Thinking about someone drinking those organisms was even more disturbing. The small things we do can really make a difference. Simply building a small well can improve the lives of many people, especially children, who often die from water related diseases.
Kennedy
All over the world people struggle to get clean water. In America, on average, we use almost 200 gallons of water every single day. In developing countries, they use an average of five gallons a day. Not only do they use so much less water than us but they also have to walk on average 3.7 miles to get their water when we just turn a knob to get ours. Imagine if you divided your daily water consumption by 40. That is how much water you would be using each day. One of the developing countries that severely suffer from these problems is Cambodia. Cambodia is on the border of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Cambodia has a population of 15,875,587 people. The main language in Cambodia is Khmer. 85% of the people living in Cambodia live in rural areas. I couldn’t believe how many kids under five die each year from contaminated water. I Hope that these problems can be fixed and everybody can have access to clean water. I hope people realize how much water they are consuming and realize how grateful they are to have clean water.
Eva L
So many people do not have access to clean, accessible fresh water. Regardless of our drought, Californians are too privileged to understand any of their hardships. I often wonder why some people have access to clean water through a faucet, and some must walk miles to get filthy water for a day. For my group project, I researched Cambodia. 6.3 million out of 14.9 million are unable to access clean drinking water. As the population of Cambodia increases, there are less people able to have access to safe water. In 2010, Cambodia had one of the highest infant and under-five mortality rates in the region, at 43 and 50 per 1,000 live births. It horrifies me that so many people are dying from water-borne diseases. Girls are forced to miss school to walk miles every day for contaminated water, and, in turn become uneducated. This disgusting cycle continues, and will continue, unless someone intervenes. The chance to save lives, break this horrific cycle awaits anyone who donates 1 well. Imagine, if everyone in Los Angeles donated 1 well, there would be 18.55 million wells in third world countries, saving billions of lives. If we only made the effort, they wouldn’t be third world countries anymore.
Audrey
Over the past two weeks, I more clearly understood the life that people in developing countries are living. I go to an amazing school, and have food to eat and clean water to drink. It is hard for me to even imagine me or my friends being in that type of situation. When reading about Salva's story, it really reached the very center of my heart. He had to go through incredible adventures that were scary, fun, and concerning. All these adventure had one thing in common. They all took a crazy amount of courage. The dictionary definition of courage is "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear." My definition of courage is "the quality of mind that enables a person to not only care for their own life, but everybody's.
I didn't realize the hardships that females face just because of water. The prize is "clean" water. This water is not clean. It is polluted; the water is polluted from the diarrhea that is caused by water-borne diseases. I knew that they had to walk for water, but I never knew that there were so many parts of the story. Through this project, I got to know more about the difficulties that people go through in developing countries.
I didn't realize the hardships that females face just because of water. The prize is "clean" water. This water is not clean. It is polluted; the water is polluted from the diarrhea that is caused by water-borne diseases. I knew that they had to walk for water, but I never knew that there were so many parts of the story. Through this project, I got to know more about the difficulties that people go through in developing countries.
sophie P
Water in many counties is filled with pollution illnesses. When people drink that water they get sick. Many of those people die. Some of the known water-borne diseases are cholera, cyclosporiasis, giardiasis, and typhoid fever. With these diseases, you get fevers, headaches, and diarrhea. The water was also filled with trash. People would play, sell food, and live near the polluted water. Because of that they get water-borne diseases. In Haiti there was a huge earthquake in 2010. Now Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. 55.2% has access to potable water while 70% does not. This really surprised me because when we turn on the faucet, water comes out already purified and safe. Some people have access to safe water and some people don’t. The people that have safe water should help the people that don’t have safe water. We should all be upstanders!
Quintynn
Water; life cannot exist without this necessity; this is a necessity that over 780 million people do not have access to. In the striking book, A Long Walk to Water, Nya must walk every day to get the minimum amount of water that a human can live on. Nya, a young girl spends every single day, all day for seven months out of the year to get water that is full of bacteria and diseases, but it is the only water that she has access to. Trying to imagine spending all day walking in the boiling heat and drinking brown water is almost impossible for me and I personally can’t conceive that idea but millions of women and children, such as Nya, must do that every day. Another problem with the water that women are carrying every day is that most of the time, because of the lack of sanitation in most developing countries, the water is usually contaminated with harmful bacteria such as cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid. These diseases are responsible for approximately 80 percent of all illnesses and deaths in the developing world, and many of the deaths are of children. 3.4 million people die each year from a water related disease; that is almost the entire city of Los Angeles. One of the countries that is experiencing this problem first hand is Haiti. Haiti is known as a water-stressed country and 57 children die for every 1,000 births in Haiti and close to 70 percent of the population doesn’t have access to portable water! The need for water is needed but so many humans die from water-borne diseases every year.
Before the water unit, I had next to no knowledge about the water crisis in developing countries; before this unit, I didn’t know why African women in photos would be carrying baskets with water in them on their heads but now I can proudly say that I know the science and math behind the fatal issues with water and I also know now the impact that it makes on people’s lives, especially women and girls. Everything that I have learned in this unit has surprised, shocked, moved me, and inspired me to help people, villages, countries, and the world with water access but the thing that surprised me most was how young girls and women spend almost their entire lives fetching water that might kill their closest relatives. I think that anyone can help bring water to people by donating money or time towards the cause and I know that I am definitely going to help save lives and bring people life; water!
Before the water unit, I had next to no knowledge about the water crisis in developing countries; before this unit, I didn’t know why African women in photos would be carrying baskets with water in them on their heads but now I can proudly say that I know the science and math behind the fatal issues with water and I also know now the impact that it makes on people’s lives, especially women and girls. Everything that I have learned in this unit has surprised, shocked, moved me, and inspired me to help people, villages, countries, and the world with water access but the thing that surprised me most was how young girls and women spend almost their entire lives fetching water that might kill their closest relatives. I think that anyone can help bring water to people by donating money or time towards the cause and I know that I am definitely going to help save lives and bring people life; water!
Suri
I know how it is to search on the internet about the drought and the thirsty people. To read inspiring essay after inspiring essay, all different yet all seeming to have some magical desire or talent that you lack. And I know how it is to read that every dollar counts, and that you should be donating and helping. I even know about the websites that say you can help by not drinking as much and donating the same money that you would use to drink on their foundation. Trust me, I know all of it. But you, reader, may not know everything. Allow me to clarify why you are reading this essay in the first place. Our seventh grade class does a whole unit on water. We learn about people who waste it, people without it, and people who need it better. There are people who are becoming so sick, they’re dying because they lack water. There are people who have never seen water clear before, only the murky brown of the ground. There are people who walk miles to get the bare minimum of the water they need.
Some people think that they can drink ocean water- after all, there is plenty of it, right? Not quite, actually. In our bodies, there is an amount of salt and water that we need that is necessary to survive. But in ocean water, ratio of salt to water is higher than the ratio in us. Have your ever put red food dye in water? The dye automatically moves to spread itself so that the ratio of dye to water is consistent everywhere. Well, our cells do a similar thing, but since cells have a cell wall blocking the way, the salt cannot move, so the cells shrink so the water can leave. This then causes the ratio to be even, us to be thirsty, and our skin to be dry. But with clean water, they could drink without becoming more dehydrated. Before you stop reading this, I one last note to leave you to think about. They walk miles to get this and keep themselves alive, but it may also be the very thing that will lead them to their death. They are betting on poison, but if they lose the bet, they pay with their lives. They only need one, pure thing. Water.
Some people think that they can drink ocean water- after all, there is plenty of it, right? Not quite, actually. In our bodies, there is an amount of salt and water that we need that is necessary to survive. But in ocean water, ratio of salt to water is higher than the ratio in us. Have your ever put red food dye in water? The dye automatically moves to spread itself so that the ratio of dye to water is consistent everywhere. Well, our cells do a similar thing, but since cells have a cell wall blocking the way, the salt cannot move, so the cells shrink so the water can leave. This then causes the ratio to be even, us to be thirsty, and our skin to be dry. But with clean water, they could drink without becoming more dehydrated. Before you stop reading this, I one last note to leave you to think about. They walk miles to get this and keep themselves alive, but it may also be the very thing that will lead them to their death. They are betting on poison, but if they lose the bet, they pay with their lives. They only need one, pure thing. Water.
Ella
Siena
Diminished access to clean water puts a burden on many lives. In fact, of the 6.6 billion people on this earth, virtually 20% are deprived of access to unpolluted water. Daily, women are expected to retrieve gallons of water. As described in A Long Walk to Water, “To the pond and back—to the pond and back—nearly a full day of walking altogether. This was Nya's daily routine seven months of the year.” Clearly, education is absent in their lives. Women living in countries without access to clean water sacrifice education for almost a full day of tireless walking, baking in the heat, and weighted down by at least 5 gallons of water. To fully recognize this, our grade set out on a walking trip.
Our little venture was a microcosm of what these girls do every day. Yet, we wanted to comprehend firsthand how it is to walk two miles with 1 gallon of water. It provoked us to really appreciate our access to water. In addition, we realized the need for these girls’ lives to be more than just fetching water. Unfortunately, the contaminated water they gather is crawling with parasites causing sometimes fatal diseases: Cholera, Cydosporiasis, Giardiasis, and Typhoid fever. Little Akeer in A Long Walk to Water suffers from a waterborne disease, “She lay curled on her side, hardly moving, silent except for the occasional whimper.” Many symptoms travel along with the diseases like diarrhea, vomiting, and fatigue. In reality, if not treated, they will result in death. Shockingly, waterborne diseases trigger nearly 2 million deaths a year. I encourage others to find ways to take part in discovering a solution to this prevalent issue that is affecting millions. Little seemingly meaningless things do wonders: donate $5 to a water-providing charity, go on a walk with a gallon or more to understand the struggles of these strong women, educate yourself on water issues locally, or raise money for water projects. Above is my journey in water studies, what’s yours?
Our little venture was a microcosm of what these girls do every day. Yet, we wanted to comprehend firsthand how it is to walk two miles with 1 gallon of water. It provoked us to really appreciate our access to water. In addition, we realized the need for these girls’ lives to be more than just fetching water. Unfortunately, the contaminated water they gather is crawling with parasites causing sometimes fatal diseases: Cholera, Cydosporiasis, Giardiasis, and Typhoid fever. Little Akeer in A Long Walk to Water suffers from a waterborne disease, “She lay curled on her side, hardly moving, silent except for the occasional whimper.” Many symptoms travel along with the diseases like diarrhea, vomiting, and fatigue. In reality, if not treated, they will result in death. Shockingly, waterborne diseases trigger nearly 2 million deaths a year. I encourage others to find ways to take part in discovering a solution to this prevalent issue that is affecting millions. Little seemingly meaningless things do wonders: donate $5 to a water-providing charity, go on a walk with a gallon or more to understand the struggles of these strong women, educate yourself on water issues locally, or raise money for water projects. Above is my journey in water studies, what’s yours?
Summar
I enjoyed the water unit. Why? Because I feel that I know more about water than I did before. During this period of time, I have learned about all of the harms caused by untreated water, how we can help with California’s drought, and a lot about water in other third world countries. I am glad that I now know about all of these water organizations that help with the lack of access to clean water, and am glad that someone is doing something to help. I feel as if this project inspired me to try and make a difference by using less water and resources to help the drought and to not make it worse. To conclude, this project has made an impact on me, and a good impact for that matter. I have learned more about water than I have ever before, and I am positive that this will help me in the long run.
Ava A.
As we went through all of the courses of our water unit I really learned about all of the conflicts. We have only one-half of a percent of freshwater available to us, and a lot of people can’t access that either. The illness that comes out of this is astonishing. Once they get to freshwater-after a three mile walk-they bring it home. However, the container contaminates the water. Since the water is contaminated it is not good to drink, and when people drink it they get really sick with parasites in the water. In A Long Walk to Water, the book we read in class, Salva, the main character, and his family drinks the same kind of water. When Nya, the other main character in the book, drinks the water too so does her sister and she’ gets sick, and they need to go to the hospital.
Learning this subject was really difficult for me, but I was really happy to learn about it. The amount of children and adults that suffer through water shortage and sickness every year is insane. The world should do something about it. We can install wells, we can help filter their water and many other things if we just opened our eyes. You can donate to one of the many organizations that help this issue. We can make a difference if we work together!
Learning this subject was really difficult for me, but I was really happy to learn about it. The amount of children and adults that suffer through water shortage and sickness every year is insane. The world should do something about it. We can install wells, we can help filter their water and many other things if we just opened our eyes. You can donate to one of the many organizations that help this issue. We can make a difference if we work together!
Danielle
Children, especially girls, and women walk an average of 3.7 miles to get about 5 gallons of water. On Wednesday December 16, our 7th grade class walked about 1.7 miles and each girl had to carry a gallon of water to get a feel of what it is like for those women and girls every day of their life. The walk was harder than expected, but it was still fun. In addition to this “Water Walk,” we also read A Long Walk to Water, which tells two stories, but the one that stood out to me most was Nya’s story. She did not go to school because she had to walk to the nearest water source to get water for her family. The nearest water source was a pond filled with brown, muddy water and would take a couple hours to reach. Nya had to walk to the pond twice a day. Since the water quality was so bad, an organization was able to put a well in her village so that everyone could have clean, safe drinking water. Also, a school could be built because a well was nearby and those children could bring clean water home to their families, but also get a good education. Before the well was built, Nya’s little sister, Akeer, got very sick from all of the parasites and bacteria from the water. Nya, her mom, and Akeer all went to a clinic and they told them that Akeer needed to drink clean water. By boiling the dirty water from the pond, the parasites could all be killed. The parasites and bacteria found in the water drunk have very bad symptoms and can result in death.
We watched some videos about this topic and the smiles on those children’s faces amazed me. How could they have such positive attitudes? They inspire me to show the positive affect I can have on the world and how I can spread that mindset. Now, every time I complain about having to run or walk too far, I will think of those girls.
We watched some videos about this topic and the smiles on those children’s faces amazed me. How could they have such positive attitudes? They inspire me to show the positive affect I can have on the world and how I can spread that mindset. Now, every time I complain about having to run or walk too far, I will think of those girls.
Mirelle
These past two weeks we have learned a lot about water. We’ve learned about what it’s like to not have easy access to clean water, and how it affects lives. 200 children under five years old die every hour from water-related diseases. This is because a lot of the water that people in third world countries have access to isn’t clean. In fact, many times it’s filled with harmful bacteria and microorganisms. These can cause diseases such as Cholera, Giardiasis, and Typhoid fever. These diseases are very serious, and since a lot of these people don’t have easy access to medical care, as well as clean water, they can even be fatal. In A Long Walk to Water, Nya’s little sister gets sick and her family has to make the decision about whether they should let her heal on her own, or walk her all the way to the nearest hospital. A Long Walk to Water also shows how not having easy access to clean water affects people’s lives, especially girls. Nya couldn’t go to school because she had to make two 4 hour trips each day to get water, and that took up practically her whole day, aside from meals. I was really surprised that someone could walk that much, and then do it every day! But I think that since she does it every day, she’s used to it now it’s not as hard for her. At the end of the book I was really happy that they finally got a well, so now Nya doesn’t have to make those long trips, and she can go to school.
Mia
Throughout this water unit, we have learned so much about the hardships and difficulties that millions of people face every day. We watched a video which showed Jay Z trying to carry a large bucket of water to help out a young girl in her long journey; and he had to stop after 10 paces and switch hands. She has to walk to collect that heavy water every day. We also learned about how much water we consume each day. A woman at least carries 5 gallons of water per trip. 5 gallons is the least amount necessary for all the needs of water like doing laundry, drinking, and cooking I use up about 193 gallons a day. We also learned about what things contaminate water in ponds and what the symptoms are. After this water unit, I can definitely say that I have learned much more about the conditions in other countries, and will be much more water conscious.
Bayley
Throughout these past eight days I will never again see water the same way again. After learning so many different facts and statistics I had realized how water has affected others in our world. For us Americans we use water lavishly and imprudent about our water supply.Although somewhere in a far off land in a whole different planet someone has to walk miles just to get five gallons of water minimum and walk back from where they started. That can cut back tons of time from things that should take your time, like family, friends, school, and more! But for us to walk a few feet and get as much water as we want is somehow different. In this unit we had done the math and the reading. We had done the geography and the experiments. Many people who are spread throughout the world are fraught with the thought that we in California are losing water rapidly.
I think that none of the class would have known anything of what we have learned throughout this week. I think that this project may or may not have impacted people's lives. I can't speak for everyone but I know I would most definitely consider working in the science field and try to figure this problem out before its too late. Before this unit I had wanted to be a zoologist but now I don’t only want to do that but expand to and be able to do water conservation and research and also do what I love. In english class we had learned a lot about our universe of obligation. I think that if you want to do something with type of work you should be able to spread your obligation wider and have an open mind. To do this work you have to have alacrity and never give up. Although it may seem like a hard thing to do or something that takes a lot of brain power to come up with solutions but I find it worth it to help at least one single person or a whole entire village. Throughout this unit we have gained more knowledge and we are more aware of our precious friend water. I would like to culminate with a thank you to the teachers and our good friend water!
I think that none of the class would have known anything of what we have learned throughout this week. I think that this project may or may not have impacted people's lives. I can't speak for everyone but I know I would most definitely consider working in the science field and try to figure this problem out before its too late. Before this unit I had wanted to be a zoologist but now I don’t only want to do that but expand to and be able to do water conservation and research and also do what I love. In english class we had learned a lot about our universe of obligation. I think that if you want to do something with type of work you should be able to spread your obligation wider and have an open mind. To do this work you have to have alacrity and never give up. Although it may seem like a hard thing to do or something that takes a lot of brain power to come up with solutions but I find it worth it to help at least one single person or a whole entire village. Throughout this unit we have gained more knowledge and we are more aware of our precious friend water. I would like to culminate with a thank you to the teachers and our good friend water!
Kat
While walking down to the Arroyo Seco, I realized something that I’d never really taken the time to think about before. I could hear the water in the jug, birds singing, wind through the trees, and the sound of crunching leaves. I could hear laughing, talking, and singing of the other students in my class. But, listening carefully, I heard some complaining. “Ugh, we have to walk down to the Arroyo Seco with a gallon of water? This is so miserable.” That’s when I realized: we have it good. Many girls our age living in Africa and other third-world countries lack access to clean water. They must walk on average 3.7 miles carrying 5 gallons of water just to support their families. They can’t attend school and never get a chance for an education. A child dies every 90 seconds from waterborne diseases such as giardiasis, typhoid fever, and cholera. These diseases would be easily avoided if clean water were available, but only contaminated water can be found. In the book we read, A Long Walk To Water, we learned about a girl named Nya living in South Sudan. Nya’s sister became very ill because the water the town used was disease-ridden and dirty. The lives of these girls in poorer countries are incredibly tough.
I can now appreciate that we have it easy. Complaining about something as small as what we did is kind of ridiculous considering what others have to go through. Realizing this has moved me to want to make more of a difference, has inspired me to change both my views and the world, and taught me that we shouldn’t take our easy lives for granted.
I can now appreciate that we have it easy. Complaining about something as small as what we did is kind of ridiculous considering what others have to go through. Realizing this has moved me to want to make more of a difference, has inspired me to change both my views and the world, and taught me that we shouldn’t take our easy lives for granted.
Tate
This year in our water unit I learned many things. I learned that fresh water is limited, the hardships of accessing water in Africa, and the amount of water each person uses in a day. I learned how important water is and how hard people have to work to get the water. We walked about 1.7 miles with one gallon, but girls in Africa has to walk 5 miles with five gallons. I also didn't know how many people die from dirty water. This experience made me want to help out like Kenna and J-Z.
In addition to our learning about water, we read A Long Walk to Water. This book told us about how a girl named Nya had to spend the day walking to get water. She couldn’t go to school because she had to keep walking all day. She also has to move homes every year during dry season. The second story is about a real person named Salva. He was in school when a war broke out and he had to run away, from his village, country, and family. He finds his uncle and they travel with a group of people to a camp. His uncle dies along with his only friend and these tragedies made him stronger. When Salva got older, he was adopted to a family in NY. While he is living with his new family, he discovers that his dad is still alive and he goes to visit him to find out that most of his family survived the war! Salva then organized a way to build a well in his home village of Sudan. Both Salva and Nya go through hardships to get water.
In addition to our learning about water, we read A Long Walk to Water. This book told us about how a girl named Nya had to spend the day walking to get water. She couldn’t go to school because she had to keep walking all day. She also has to move homes every year during dry season. The second story is about a real person named Salva. He was in school when a war broke out and he had to run away, from his village, country, and family. He finds his uncle and they travel with a group of people to a camp. His uncle dies along with his only friend and these tragedies made him stronger. When Salva got older, he was adopted to a family in NY. While he is living with his new family, he discovers that his dad is still alive and he goes to visit him to find out that most of his family survived the war! Salva then organized a way to build a well in his home village of Sudan. Both Salva and Nya go through hardships to get water.
Devon
In the beginning of the water unit, I knew there were problems in Africa with water but I didn't know how bad they really were. Every twenty seconds a child dies of diarrhea in a developing country. That is about two million children per year. The water is dirty and causes illness which leads to these unfortunate deaths. The lack of water that we studied in these countries is remarkable. Women and girls can't go to school because they have to fetch water for their families. We spent eight days learning about water and I really learned a lot. I have no idea how bad it is and I many ever. I can only feel and understand so much. Water is not an endless source. Only 0.5 percent of the water in our world is fresh and we are able to get it.
In A Long Walk to Water, clean water was hard to get. The same thing is with our world. Wells have been dug to get clean water. People need more wells to survive. Clean water is a necessity in life. Boiling water can be hard. There are packets that help get rid of bacteria in water. Some children need to be taught about hygiene and how important it is to wash your hands, take showers and/or baths and be clean. Water is a big problem in this world and it is about time we tried harder to fix it.
In A Long Walk to Water, clean water was hard to get. The same thing is with our world. Wells have been dug to get clean water. People need more wells to survive. Clean water is a necessity in life. Boiling water can be hard. There are packets that help get rid of bacteria in water. Some children need to be taught about hygiene and how important it is to wash your hands, take showers and/or baths and be clean. Water is a big problem in this world and it is about time we tried harder to fix it.
Samantha
Approximately 663 million people do not have access to clean water. Because so many people do not have accessible clean water, they are forced to drink unsafe, contaminated water. Almost three and a half million people die every year from drinking or being in contact with polluted water. In the book that is based on a true story, A Long Walk to Water, Nya is a young girl that must take an eight hour walk every day to fetch water from a faraway pond for her family. The water she and her family drank, like that of many people in real life, is muddy and contaminated. Once in the book, her younger sister, Akeer, became very ill because of the water she was drinking. The pond water was neither filtered nor boiled, making it very unsafe to drink. Some common diseases caused by parasites that people get by being in contact with contaminated water are Giardiasis, Schistosomiasis, Amebiasis, Cryptosporidiosis, and Guinea worm. Although some of these diseases can lead to death, boiling water before using it can kill most parasites.
Thinking about how many women and children spend their whole day walking to get dirty water makes me feel very thankful that I get to have an education and can drink water without the worry of what harmful things might be living inside of it. I am still amazed by how many people work to create organizations and projects that help people who are in need of clean water. How hard these people work to help other people they do not know in places many people have never heard of inspires me. Although there are many groups of people and organizations helping other people who do not have accessible clean water, there are still many more people who need help. Donating just a dollar to any organization makes a significant impact. Another way to help is to be conservative of water usage. Because we are slowly running out of accessible water all around the world, everyone must pay more attention to how much water is being used daily. Don’t stand by. Think about what you can do.
Thinking about how many women and children spend their whole day walking to get dirty water makes me feel very thankful that I get to have an education and can drink water without the worry of what harmful things might be living inside of it. I am still amazed by how many people work to create organizations and projects that help people who are in need of clean water. How hard these people work to help other people they do not know in places many people have never heard of inspires me. Although there are many groups of people and organizations helping other people who do not have accessible clean water, there are still many more people who need help. Donating just a dollar to any organization makes a significant impact. Another way to help is to be conservative of water usage. Because we are slowly running out of accessible water all around the world, everyone must pay more attention to how much water is being used daily. Don’t stand by. Think about what you can do.
Carina
Water is one of our most valuable resources, and we take it for granted so much. We don’t realize that by not caring we affect more people than just ourselves. For example An American taking a five minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses in an entire day. I was just so surprised that women have to walk all day. I knew that they had to walk for a certain period of time but I didn’t know that they actually spent the whole day. Since we made this website many pople are going to become aware about how bad the water crisis is and hopefully they will try to help by donating money or just educating other people in their community about this crisis.
leily
In Tanzania, and all over the world, girls and women are denied the chance to learn and grow on a daily basis. While the men are allowed to go to school, women are tasked with the job of fetching water. Every day, girls and women walk an average of 3.7 miles to get water, carrying at least 5 gallons of water. They embark on this trip at least twice a day, and the trips take the entire day. Since water is a necessity in life, it take priority over learning, and in most places, men's education is viewed as "more important" than a women's education. This issue is clearly shown in A Long Walk To Water from both Slava and Nya's point of view. Nya informs us of this issue when she say that she "______________________" (Park ___). Nya is informing us about a reality that is difficult to imagine, as all she does every day is fetch water. We take so many things for granted every day, while there are people in different parts of the world dreaming to be able to have a fraction of the things we have. We wake up each morning and get ready for school, some people thinking of it as a chore, while others would give up anything to be able to learn. Along with this, girls lack of education is making it much more difficult to allow these girls to grow up and change the world for better. Every person has their own ideas and creative ways of thinking, and each child has the option to change the world, but without an education, we are putting one more challenge for them to overcome to be able to make that change. We can help them make that change. We can help give girls and women their rightful education.
Maribella M-J
During the Water Unit I learned many incredible things. I learned that people in third world countries don’t have safe, clean water and that kids aren’t able to have an education. This shocked me because I thought everybody was able to have an education. However, the reason why these kids aren’t educated is because they are always busy collecting water for their family and don’t have enough time to improve their knowledge. I discovered that people and organizations help these third world countries and make sure that everybody has the basic necessities they need. One organization that I learned about is H2O for Life which builds wells and schools in Africa. I also learned that I can make a difference in my community by raising awareness and money to help support people in third world countries. By learning all of these facts about what is happening to people around the world, I have decided that I am going to make a difference in my community. I will tell anybody I know about what people in third world countries are going through and how they can help.
While I was doing research for the Water Unit, the most shocking thing I learned is that every 20 seconds, a kid dies from a diarrhea-related disease. This brought to my attention how serious the unsanitary crisis is and that if I don’t do anything to help, I am being a bystander. Learning about the Water Unit made me realize how appreciative I should be for the things I have and how I should not take them for granted. I think that more schools should educate students about what people in third world countries are going through every day and how they can make a difference. Overall, the Water Unit was a wonderful experience that I will never forget and I hope Westridge continues to act on its’ collective will which I’m proud to be apart of.
While I was doing research for the Water Unit, the most shocking thing I learned is that every 20 seconds, a kid dies from a diarrhea-related disease. This brought to my attention how serious the unsanitary crisis is and that if I don’t do anything to help, I am being a bystander. Learning about the Water Unit made me realize how appreciative I should be for the things I have and how I should not take them for granted. I think that more schools should educate students about what people in third world countries are going through every day and how they can make a difference. Overall, the Water Unit was a wonderful experience that I will never forget and I hope Westridge continues to act on its’ collective will which I’m proud to be apart of.
Ava F.
I chose to focus on the consequences to lack of water, the country that I studied, and the importance of women. Some of the major consequences to lack of clean water are catching diseases from the highly-contaminated water, such as cholera and typhoid fever. In Sudan, below average rainfall during the long rainy seasons (July through August) has resulted in poor harvests and extreme water shortages, giving rise to a continuous drought in multiple areas. The women have a very big responsibility in order for their families to get water. The women have to take on the big burden of fetching the water, which means walking three or four miles to the nearest water source while carrying a heavy water container.
Although I knew that there was a severe lack of clean water in developing countries and that the water that they did get was very dirty, I was shocked to hear that many of the people in these countries didn’t even know what clean water looked like. The water they drink is o contaminated that it seems weird to think of drinking clear water, and so that is why teachers have to educate them about this. One way that we can help the water crisis in other places is by donating to these organizations that help build water wells and other water sources.
Although I knew that there was a severe lack of clean water in developing countries and that the water that they did get was very dirty, I was shocked to hear that many of the people in these countries didn’t even know what clean water looked like. The water they drink is o contaminated that it seems weird to think of drinking clear water, and so that is why teachers have to educate them about this. One way that we can help the water crisis in other places is by donating to these organizations that help build water wells and other water sources.
Sophia H-K
Katrina
In the water unit, I learned how so many unfortunate people do not have clean water to use. We read the book A Long Walk to Water. There is a boy named Salva and a girl named Nya living in South Sudan. They didn’t even have pittance of clean water. Nya couldn’t elude walking 3.7 miles every day just to get five gallons of contaminated pond water for her family and herself. Nya’s little sister, Akeer got a disease from the pond water. The bacteria and parasites in the pond water can cause diseases that may lead to death. In science class, we got to scrutinize a sample of pond water under a microscope and there were living organisms in it. It is disquieting that they drank the unsanitary water without knowing the surreptitious life living in the water.
For our math homework assignments, we had to find out the amount of water we used a day. I use about 105 gallons of water daily! Other people in other countries only use 5 gallons a day within their whole family. That is hard to believe and it’s not even clean water. The most shocking thing about the water unit is how people walk so many miles every day just to fetch five gallons of dirty pond water. If we build more wells I think that will change and save many more lives.
For our math homework assignments, we had to find out the amount of water we used a day. I use about 105 gallons of water daily! Other people in other countries only use 5 gallons a day within their whole family. That is hard to believe and it’s not even clean water. The most shocking thing about the water unit is how people walk so many miles every day just to fetch five gallons of dirty pond water. If we build more wells I think that will change and save many more lives.
Caledonia
The Water Unit was 8 days long and in it my classmates and I learned a lot about the water issues and how lots of people don’t have access to clean water. We also had a hands on experience where we took a gallon of water and walked to the arroyo and back, from our school. I learned a lot from this unit and was able to practice my subjects for water related activities. I observed pond water, calculated my daily water usage, and researched a country. Ethiopia is the country that two others and I learned all about. This was a group project to research one country, that was assigned to us and to add information to a website that was about the countries that lack clean water access. We found out that Ethiopia’s population is around 99,465,800 people. One interesting experience that I had was when my teachers, classmates and I all walked to the Arroyo, from our school and back, carrying a gallon of water to try to give us a taste of what it was like for people in places like Sudan. It was fun and I enjoyed it but I got dehydrated. I realized that if I had to do that every day for twice the distance and carrying five times the load then I would have been way more dehydrated and tired. It gave me a bit of perspective into what some girls and women in some places like Ethiopia do every day. Another big aspect of this unit was reading a book called A Long Walk to Water. In the book we read all about a boy named Salva and his journey across Sudan, to get to Ethiopia. He went to a refugee camp and after six years of being at the camp he had to move. He moved to another camp in Kenya and then another camp after that until he was chosen to be one of the Lost Boys. He went to America and continued his education until he found out his father, who he had thought to be dead, was alive. He went to visit his father, who was sick from drinking dirty water, and after the visit he decided to help build wells for towns that could not access clean water. I was moved by what Salva did in A Long Walk to Water. He set up wells for people who did not have access to clean water, even his tribe’s rivals. I was moved because he helped everyone not just his people and tribe. It shows how Salva can overcome extreme rivalries and help everyone by building wells. It inspires me to overcome simple arguments and disputes and to try to not hold grudges. In comparison it is not at all close to what Salva did but I am still inspired. When we were doing the Water Unit I learned all about my usage of and the amount of water that I use every day. I learned that the most I spend on water each day is on showering. I knew before this that I took long showers but I was surprised and did not know that I used as much water as I did. I now know that I can lessen the amount of water I use daily, largely, if I just take shorter shows. I was inspired by this information to make my showers shorter. Another fact that surprised me was when we had the science portion of the Water Unit, we looked at pond water through a microscope and when we did that we saw creatures and organisms. I was shocked that even though these bugs lived in the water people would still drink from it. Even though these things surprised and moved me it also showed me how we can make a difference in these peoples’ lives. If we started to help other organizations then we can and will be helping others who do not have access to clean water. We would help many people live and we would allow more girls to go to school just by building wells in villages and countries where access to water tends to be father away from the village and/or of less quality. Salva in A Long Walk to Water has hope in the organization that allowed him to go to America. If we brought more people who wanted to come over to America we could set them up with an opportunity of clean water and more as well, along with giving them hope. The Water Unit was inspiring and now instead of skipping over the cause of lacking access to clean water I will know more about and my thoughts about it will have more depth. The Water Unit was a unique experience and it was also amazing.
Davan
Through the Water Unit, we had a visitor that taught us more about the drought in California, and also taught us about the water levels decreasing since 2013. Over time, we discovered how people can be so deeply affected by this lack of water. I have learned personally that if you drank dirty water, that can cause the clean water that was already in your system to flush out with the dirty water, causing a disease called diarrhea. Just yesterday, we got a math worksheet that was supposed to teach us how much percentage of water that we had left in each year, compared to the historical average. The historical average was always higher than the water percentage, which was VERY concerning. This relates to the book that we were reading which is called: A Long Walk to Water. The main character's name was Salva, and Salva came from a village in Southern Sudan. That country was facing war at the time, which meant that Salva and people from their village had to travel to another country called Ethiopia. During the journey they come across a river. One of the people in the group said that they had to fill a jug full of water, and save it for the rest of the journey. That, to me, seemed pretty hard because they still had about three more days to get to Ethiopia. That is why water is such a precious resource. Once it's gone, it's really had to get it back.
One day in class, we were watching this documentary about a man who climbed a mountain. I don’t remember what specific mountain it was, but I know he climbed with friends to raise money for getting wells in needed places such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and many more. That was the most inspirational thing for me in this water unit. It meant the most to me because a lot of people tried to climb this type of mountain, and did not succeed. This man named Kenna, climbed to the top with some friends of his, and raised enough money to dig many wells in the places that needed them most. What I think that we can all learn from this is how to provide hope for other people in the world. Hope may be just to be mindful of that water that you wasted that went down the drain, or the hose that you used to water your lawn. Just remember to be cautious about the things that you waste, and think about the people that don’t have that much water as you do. That will make a waste free world for you and for the people who need it most.
One day in class, we were watching this documentary about a man who climbed a mountain. I don’t remember what specific mountain it was, but I know he climbed with friends to raise money for getting wells in needed places such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and many more. That was the most inspirational thing for me in this water unit. It meant the most to me because a lot of people tried to climb this type of mountain, and did not succeed. This man named Kenna, climbed to the top with some friends of his, and raised enough money to dig many wells in the places that needed them most. What I think that we can all learn from this is how to provide hope for other people in the world. Hope may be just to be mindful of that water that you wasted that went down the drain, or the hose that you used to water your lawn. Just remember to be cautious about the things that you waste, and think about the people that don’t have that much water as you do. That will make a waste free world for you and for the people who need it most.
Corina
In math this unit, I calculated that I use 111.375 gallons everyday compared to the five gallons I need as a minimum to live. Well, I learned that in South Sudan, the country I studied, they only use those five gallons. In South Sudan, I learned, young girls and women have to walk about 3.7 miles to receive 5 gallons of water. They have to do this several times to get enough water to support their families. I calculated that I would have to take 23 trips to bring all the water I use, and this would mean walking 85 miles.
I also learned that in addition to having to walk to get their water in South Sudan, the water they bring back is dirty, and full of bacteria. I looked at a sample of pond water under a microscope, and although it did not have any harmful microbes in it, it was full of microorganisms and algae. I learned about the harmful microorganisms that can be in contaminated water too. There are parasites and bacteria that can cause diarrhea and even death. I find it shocking that people in developing countries have such terrible water problems.
I also learned that in addition to having to walk to get their water in South Sudan, the water they bring back is dirty, and full of bacteria. I looked at a sample of pond water under a microscope, and although it did not have any harmful microbes in it, it was full of microorganisms and algae. I learned about the harmful microorganisms that can be in contaminated water too. There are parasites and bacteria that can cause diarrhea and even death. I find it shocking that people in developing countries have such terrible water problems.
Kathleen
The past two weeks we worked on the water unit. The class and I have learned a whole bunch about developing countries and their struggles to reach dirty water that is used daily. Unfortunately, the lack of clean water nearby forces them to brave a long, compulsory journey to the nearest area of water. The fact that they are hindered from getting fresh water is iniquity. In science class, we looked at a slide which contained a drop of dirty water that is very disquieting to look at. The moving bacteria made me realize how lucky we are and to use water more productively. For math homework, we logged the amount of water we used every day. I found out that I would need to take about 27trips to get the amount of water I use in my daily routine.
We have also talked about drought. Water is quickly running out of water, especially in Southern California. We need to learn how to use our water more productively. Many families in Africa can use about 1/13 of what one person in the United States is able to use. The trepidation of losing water is growing and we find talk about this situation in news, articles, radios, and much more. This lesson makes me want to save more water and not take it as an advantage.
We have also talked about drought. Water is quickly running out of water, especially in Southern California. We need to learn how to use our water more productively. Many families in Africa can use about 1/13 of what one person in the United States is able to use. The trepidation of losing water is growing and we find talk about this situation in news, articles, radios, and much more. This lesson makes me want to save more water and not take it as an advantage.
Hanna
The average women walks about 3.7 miles everyday to get about 5 gallons of water that might not be good for drinking. Polluted water can carry many types of organisms. Organisms such as Salmonella typhi or Vibrio Cholerae. There are two types of ways to get water, there is ground water or there are lakes and ponds. When the dry season comes the surface water becomes wizened and there is only a pittance of water left. That forces many people to leave their homes in search of water that they might never find. In the book A Long Walk to Water, their resources become very scarce in order to elude dying of thirst or hunger, they have to be very cautious about how they use their water.
For this project, my group and I studied the country of South Sudan and found that the population of South Sudan is 11,563,000 people. Most the population is under the age of 29 and live by the Nile River. I was shocked on the amount of time that people use gathering water. That definitely inspired me to help, spread awareness, and be more ascertain to find a way to benefit the people.
For this project, my group and I studied the country of South Sudan and found that the population of South Sudan is 11,563,000 people. Most the population is under the age of 29 and live by the Nile River. I was shocked on the amount of time that people use gathering water. That definitely inspired me to help, spread awareness, and be more ascertain to find a way to benefit the people.
Emeline
In school we set out on a journey to learn everything about water. Drought, the fights it causes, the pain people go through to get it. In English we were asked to write poems about water. This project made me realize how truly lucky we are to live in the United States, to have water whenever we are thirsty. This project made me push myself as a poet because of how much I wanted to explain to others the drought that people in developing countries face. I wanted to explain the pain and suffering they go through to get just five gallons of water. In Westridge’s water unit I have learned all about drought and the pain it causes for people who have to walk miles upon miles to get water that isn’t even clean.
They suffer through diseases. These diseases can kill them, yet they keep going and getting the water. They keep drinking the water. Why do they do this? They know it’s bad for them, but they do it because it is the only way they will survive. The people who live like this every day are so strong we can’t even imagine it. We just walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. They walk five, ten miles for just five gallons of water. They do this every day and keep doing it. Because of this project I have learned there are people who are stronger mentally and physically than I have ever imagined.
They suffer through diseases. These diseases can kill them, yet they keep going and getting the water. They keep drinking the water. Why do they do this? They know it’s bad for them, but they do it because it is the only way they will survive. The people who live like this every day are so strong we can’t even imagine it. We just walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. They walk five, ten miles for just five gallons of water. They do this every day and keep doing it. Because of this project I have learned there are people who are stronger mentally and physically than I have ever imagined.
Caroline
Natalie V.
The main disciplines of a lack of water would be illness, despair, and conflict. When I chose these three words, I thought of each person who suffers from a lack of water. For illness, I thought of all of the kids who died because of water that carried germs and diseases. With the word despair, the image of miserable people having to take long walks every day came into my head, along with the image of the families who have lost their children to water-borne diseases. Finally, the word conflict came up. When I hear the word conflict, I think of fighting. I can just imagine people in the dry areas of the world fighting over one of the things that doesn’t even mean that much to us, water. The moment that this idea came into my head, I was shocked to see how something we never appreciate can’t even be appreciated in some countires.
Maddy
780 million people on earth don’t have access to clean water, which is about 20% of population on this planet. Water is a Compulsory thing that we need to survive. Imagine walking for 18 hours every day just to reach dirty, polluted water. This is the daily life of millions of people in the world. The water that they drink will most likely give them a disease but they drink it anyways because it’s their only way to survive. Most diseases result in diarrhea, fever and dehydration (which causes people to get wizened faces). There is clean water in Africa but the problem is that it’s underground and people can’t get access to it.
There are several organizations that help raise money to build wells and hand pumps for villages in Africa. These water sources benefit people and save thousands of lives. It gives people the appeasing feeling of having clean, fresh water that they don’t have to spend hours a day trying to retrieve it.
There are several organizations that help raise money to build wells and hand pumps for villages in Africa. These water sources benefit people and save thousands of lives. It gives people the appeasing feeling of having clean, fresh water that they don’t have to spend hours a day trying to retrieve it.
Nica
Water scarcity is a humanitarian, business, and political concern all rolled into one. The humanitarian aspect is dire for the people it affects. Nearly 20% of the world’s population lack access to clean water and 40% lack safe sanitation facilities. So it’s little wonder that a staggering 2 million people die annually from diarrheal diseases. Meanwhile, right here in California, “water wars” have reached the state’s Supreme Court after the state government told local irrigation districts that they could no longer exercise their rights to divert water from rivers running through their land. At the same time, however, we’re seeing more agribusinesses in California switch to drip irrigation, which although a costly move at first, ends up not only saving the state water, but also saving agribusiness money.
Ultimately, businesses have to learn to deal appropriately with the communities where they operate. That's what PepsiCo and Coca-Cola did after a crash course in community relations in Kerala, India earlier this century. Both companies built bottling plants there, which the local government shut down when neighboring villagers began to run out of water. As it happens, PepsiCo had performed an adequate risk analysis of the bottling plant's water supply, determining that it had enough water to support its bottling operations. But the company did not anticipate that the neighboring community's separate water supply might run dry if there wasn’t enough rainfall. Although the company had not depleted the community's water supply, that wasn’t much comfort to the local people as they watched truckloads of soft drinks leave the area each day. If the beverage companies had given community concerns greater consideration at the start, they might have prevented a number of bad consequences, including environmental, community, and political ones, and avoided taking a financial hit. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola now treat the community's well-being as both an ethical obligation and a corporate responsibility.
What inspired me most during our Water Works unit was the story of Salva and his strength in the face of great hardships. His life was torn apart, he didn’t know whether his family was alive or not, his friend and his uncle were killed, and so were his brothers. But he kept moving on. Although Salva grieved, he wouldn’t let sadness hold him back. He survived to tell his tale, and to help people with problems similar to the ones he had as a child in Sudan. He grew up to place water pumps in various towns so that people would have fresh water, girls could go to school, fewer children would die from water-borne diseases, and the villagers’ quality of life would improve. One way that I and others might provide hope and opportunity to people who lack access to clean water is by forming or joining clubs like the Westridge Water Warriors, which raises money to create wells, pumps, and running water systems for schools and villages. What the Water Warriors prove is that almost anyone can make a change in peoples’ lives if they put their minds to it and work hard.
Ultimately, businesses have to learn to deal appropriately with the communities where they operate. That's what PepsiCo and Coca-Cola did after a crash course in community relations in Kerala, India earlier this century. Both companies built bottling plants there, which the local government shut down when neighboring villagers began to run out of water. As it happens, PepsiCo had performed an adequate risk analysis of the bottling plant's water supply, determining that it had enough water to support its bottling operations. But the company did not anticipate that the neighboring community's separate water supply might run dry if there wasn’t enough rainfall. Although the company had not depleted the community's water supply, that wasn’t much comfort to the local people as they watched truckloads of soft drinks leave the area each day. If the beverage companies had given community concerns greater consideration at the start, they might have prevented a number of bad consequences, including environmental, community, and political ones, and avoided taking a financial hit. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola now treat the community's well-being as both an ethical obligation and a corporate responsibility.
What inspired me most during our Water Works unit was the story of Salva and his strength in the face of great hardships. His life was torn apart, he didn’t know whether his family was alive or not, his friend and his uncle were killed, and so were his brothers. But he kept moving on. Although Salva grieved, he wouldn’t let sadness hold him back. He survived to tell his tale, and to help people with problems similar to the ones he had as a child in Sudan. He grew up to place water pumps in various towns so that people would have fresh water, girls could go to school, fewer children would die from water-borne diseases, and the villagers’ quality of life would improve. One way that I and others might provide hope and opportunity to people who lack access to clean water is by forming or joining clubs like the Westridge Water Warriors, which raises money to create wells, pumps, and running water systems for schools and villages. What the Water Warriors prove is that almost anyone can make a change in peoples’ lives if they put their minds to it and work hard.
Felicity
“Water is our most precious resource.” Sure. You’ve probably heard this once or twice; whether it’s in a classroom, at home, or in a documentary. But most people really don’t understand the impact of this. 3% of our world’s water is fresh, and of that 3%, only 0.5% is accessible, the rest is locked away in glaciers and ice caps. This means that people, not just in third world countries, lack access to adequate water sources. In class, we read a book with the title A Long Walk To Water. The heartbreaking story of Nya and Salva; both in Sudan, but in different time periods. Despite their age gap, one issue persists. This issue is the lack of clean water for either. In one scene, near the end of the book, we get to see Nya taking, what may be, her first sip of clean water. We later find that this clean water project is a result of Salva returning to Sudan. Salva suffered the same struggle as Nya, he made it to America, and came back to save lives. One person can make a huge impact on many, a concept apparent in the theory of the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect is the idea that any action, no matter small or large, can have huge aftereffects. To put this into context, Salva directs a team to build a well in the village. The well gives the village families clean water for generations to come and the opportunity to attend school full-time. This one well gives the village a huge, yet hard to see, return rate. Even though it may not be apparent, the gift of water is a crucial one.
In the words of the illustrious Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing’s going to change, it’s not.” This is our world, our water, and our lives. Unless we are willing to help others, we cannot help ourselves. In A Long Walk to Water, the Dinka tribe agrees to take in Salva, even though it may hurt them. Despite hard times, they have the will and the inner strength to care. It’s hard to think what would happen if the tribe didn’t accept him. Small acts of altruistic help, well, help. So unless we do something, nothing will get better with our water problem. Every 20 seconds, a child dies from water related issues. We cannot let this struggle silently continue, it’s our burden.
In the words of the illustrious Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing’s going to change, it’s not.” This is our world, our water, and our lives. Unless we are willing to help others, we cannot help ourselves. In A Long Walk to Water, the Dinka tribe agrees to take in Salva, even though it may hurt them. Despite hard times, they have the will and the inner strength to care. It’s hard to think what would happen if the tribe didn’t accept him. Small acts of altruistic help, well, help. So unless we do something, nothing will get better with our water problem. Every 20 seconds, a child dies from water related issues. We cannot let this struggle silently continue, it’s our burden.
Emmie
Our class was recently learning about the importance of water and what diseases you can get from unclean water. This is a dramatic problem in 3rd world countries where women walk miles to fetch water for their families. They even have to miss school in order to do this a couple times a day. Even then they still don't get clean, healthy water. It is almost always contaminated with different bacterial diseases like Cholera, Typhoid fever, Cyclosporiasis, and Giardiasis. These diseases can cause anorexia, vomiting, low blood pressure, loss of skin elasticity, and much more including the most common symptom of diarrhea. The only other option for these people is to put their lives at stake and not drink water, but they wouldn't last long because the human body can only last a couple of days without water. We explored these struggles of others through a book we recently finished called A Long Walk to Water. It is a simultaneous two narrative story that reflects on the lives of a girl and boy and their struggles to remain heathy and alive while their lives revolve around clean water that doesn't exist for them. We also experienced a sneak peek into the lives of others who walk extensive hours to bring water back to their families. My classmates and I, even our teachers took about a gallon of water on a walk, but this was a tiny fraction of what others really have to do. Our walk was cold, we carried only about a gallon, and we didn't walk far. They walk in vigorous heat, carry about 5 gallons of water on their way back that isn't even sanitary or clean, and walk for about 3.7 miles round trip. It is unbelievable what others on the same planet face, I mean I just have to press a button or move a handle.
Kelly
Throughout this unit of learning the meaning of clean water and how it’s the main source for survival, we learned a plethora number of ways on how without a source of clean water, various things could happen to humans. Most of the people around the world, lack clean water, but in other cases when they actually do find water, it’s filled with toxic and harmful bacteria that could lead to death if not treated properly. When unsanitary water is consumed by humans, the toxins that were riddled inside the water will eventually form water – related diseases. Although there are a plentiful amount of diseases, some of the most common illnesses include Cholera, Giardiasis, Typhoid Fever, and Cyclosporiasis. The main symptoms to these diseases are watery diarrhea and nausea. Not only does this global issue cause dehydration, but it also creates famines. When there is no water, food and crops wouldn’t be able to grow and starvation leads to more causalities, which means smaller populations. People of all ages in developing countries walk roughly 3.7 miles just to get five gallons of water for their family to share. Something so simple like clean water, we take for granted. Like in the book “A Long Walk to Water’, Nya and Salva both had to go through elongated journeys just for a few cups of water, but his tribe and him worked together and Salva made it to the refugee camp in Ethiopia without a source of clean water.
All in all, I thought learning about this topic of water was a good experience and that I could learn many things to apply to my daily life. Something that moved me was that we take water for granted and waste water by using it so much, while people in developing countries can’t even take showers or go to the bathroom. I hope that other people can also learn from this to as this should be a lesson for us to start to conserve water and not turn a blind eye on this global issue that clearly should be fixed.
All in all, I thought learning about this topic of water was a good experience and that I could learn many things to apply to my daily life. Something that moved me was that we take water for granted and waste water by using it so much, while people in developing countries can’t even take showers or go to the bathroom. I hope that other people can also learn from this to as this should be a lesson for us to start to conserve water and not turn a blind eye on this global issue that clearly should be fixed.
Claire
This unit has been very informative on one of the largest global issues of this time. People often don't understand the depth of problems around them. I think most of the class was oblivious to the pressing problems in our world. On the very first day of the water unit we knew that there was a drought. That’s pretty much it. We didn't know what was really going on. Knowledge is more powerful than any weapon. With this knowledge a little piece of the big picture comes into focus. It is only when you see the full picture that you can truly understand the problem, and you can only solve a problem if you know what it is.
I am very grateful that Westridge has the resources to do this unit. Some schools are not able to create such an interactive and informative lesson. The walk in particular made it impossible to ignore. We all walked about a mile with a gallon of water and were moderately tired. Girls and women have to walk farther with more water everyday. It's very hard to think about. I'm glad we had this unit to show us what is going on in the world and how much we have to be grateful for.
I am very grateful that Westridge has the resources to do this unit. Some schools are not able to create such an interactive and informative lesson. The walk in particular made it impossible to ignore. We all walked about a mile with a gallon of water and were moderately tired. Girls and women have to walk farther with more water everyday. It's very hard to think about. I'm glad we had this unit to show us what is going on in the world and how much we have to be grateful for.
Holland
I am a seventh grade student who currently attends Westridge School for Girls. During this past week my peers and I have been learning about the water crisis from scientific, geographical, literary, and societal points of view. My class has been reading Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water, a story that follows the lives of two young children who are trying to survive in Africa. They are faced with illness, loss, separation, and starvation. My class was split into groups and given a third-world country to research. We had to research everything from their water crisis, economic status, and disease rates to their popular music, dances, religions, and lifestyle.
We participated in many eye opening activities. We had to walk a total of 2.5 miles carrying a gallon of water to gain perspective on just a portion of a woman’s daily life in a Third World country; we also examined water that was similar to the kind of water that people in developing countries drink. We found all sorts of harmful bacteria and dirty minerals. My takeaway from this unit has exceeded any of my wildest expectations. One of our homework assignments was to complete a math worksheet that would tell us how much water we consumed daily. I was completely shocked because I thought that I was very drought conscious. This showed me that maybe I have to make larger steps in order to use a reasonable amount of water. I also found out that me and my classmates use about 90 more gallons of water daily that a person in a developing country. Something that I personally found truly difficult was looking at the numbers. There is something about reading exact numbers that just makes it that much more real. I was baffled when I found out that 3.5 million people have died from water borne diseases and a child dies every 20 seconds from water borne diseases. Millions of people don’t have access to a basic human necessity. That is why the need passionate people like my peers and I to make a change. If everyone in America donated one penny we could build 12,000 wells in developing countries.
We participated in many eye opening activities. We had to walk a total of 2.5 miles carrying a gallon of water to gain perspective on just a portion of a woman’s daily life in a Third World country; we also examined water that was similar to the kind of water that people in developing countries drink. We found all sorts of harmful bacteria and dirty minerals. My takeaway from this unit has exceeded any of my wildest expectations. One of our homework assignments was to complete a math worksheet that would tell us how much water we consumed daily. I was completely shocked because I thought that I was very drought conscious. This showed me that maybe I have to make larger steps in order to use a reasonable amount of water. I also found out that me and my classmates use about 90 more gallons of water daily that a person in a developing country. Something that I personally found truly difficult was looking at the numbers. There is something about reading exact numbers that just makes it that much more real. I was baffled when I found out that 3.5 million people have died from water borne diseases and a child dies every 20 seconds from water borne diseases. Millions of people don’t have access to a basic human necessity. That is why the need passionate people like my peers and I to make a change. If everyone in America donated one penny we could build 12,000 wells in developing countries.
Natalie D.
What happens in the book A Long Walk to Water is what helped us understand what and why we are learning about water and realize how much help they really need. The book follows the stories of a boy named Salva, who was growing up in Sudan at the time of the rebellion against the government, and a girl named Nya, who also lived in Sudan a few years later after the war. It tells the story of her and her family struggle to find clean water and how she had to walk for miles each day to get it. By reading this book we realized what these people go through and realized how important it is to educate people about the lack of clean water in third world countries.We tried to learn as much as we could on this topic and how we could help. We learned about the different diseases that people can catch through dirty and contaminated water. We also learned about the different ways to access clean water and the most cost efficient and effective structures to build in different climates. And we learned how much conflict can come from lack of water.
One of the activities we learned about the many different organisms in unclean water, was to look at a sample of pond water under a microscope. The sample didn’t have any dangerous bacteria, but we still saw how many organisms there were. One way we learned about the different ways to access water was to take notes about the different pumps, wells, catchment tanks, and dams. Then we were assigned an imaginary village in which we were given information about its water table, ground, and region and how much rain it received. We then had to decide what the best system would be to access water for that region. Another way we learned about water is how much conflict can arise from lack of water. When we read A Long Walk to Water in Nya’s story, her and her family were constantly in fear of her brothers or father being killed by a rival tribe. The conflict started over a lake that was on the borders of each of their land, so a war began over the lake. Because there were no other water sources very close to the tribes, they both wanted the closest water source. Lots of people died because of the fighting, and all of those lives could have been saved if they had more water. Throughout this unit what has continually shocked me is how all of these people don’t have any access to clean water and use less than five gallons a day, which is the minimum amount you can use to stay healthy. Yet on average we use 180 gallons each day. I already knew a little bit about that but it never ceases to amaze me. Imagine how much good we could do if every single person gave just half of their water to someone in need. That could change so many lives.
One of the activities we learned about the many different organisms in unclean water, was to look at a sample of pond water under a microscope. The sample didn’t have any dangerous bacteria, but we still saw how many organisms there were. One way we learned about the different ways to access water was to take notes about the different pumps, wells, catchment tanks, and dams. Then we were assigned an imaginary village in which we were given information about its water table, ground, and region and how much rain it received. We then had to decide what the best system would be to access water for that region. Another way we learned about water is how much conflict can arise from lack of water. When we read A Long Walk to Water in Nya’s story, her and her family were constantly in fear of her brothers or father being killed by a rival tribe. The conflict started over a lake that was on the borders of each of their land, so a war began over the lake. Because there were no other water sources very close to the tribes, they both wanted the closest water source. Lots of people died because of the fighting, and all of those lives could have been saved if they had more water. Throughout this unit what has continually shocked me is how all of these people don’t have any access to clean water and use less than five gallons a day, which is the minimum amount you can use to stay healthy. Yet on average we use 180 gallons each day. I already knew a little bit about that but it never ceases to amaze me. Imagine how much good we could do if every single person gave just half of their water to someone in need. That could change so many lives.
Natalie C.
During the period of time where my class studied water, we learned about the fascinating problems and hardships people in third world countries have to go through everyday. When we think of drinking water, we think of the clear, clean water coming out of our faucet with a flick of our finger (literally). The water in third world countries does not come out of a faucet most of the time, it comes from dirty patches of water. Women have to walk eight hours a day, to receive about 1/35 of the water we use in a day. The water that they get is contaminated, and can cause bacterial diseases. Girls have to fetch water all day, which means they cannot go to school. If they are lucky and somehow go to school, they would still have to sit out because of many health reasons. The major reason, diarrhea, is one of the examples of water related diseases that causes boys and girls to sit out of school for weeks, and causes people to not want to eat and die. Although this water unit revealed many surprising facts, I found the fact that girls had to walk miles and hours a day to receive water crazy. There are girls way younger than me, in fact, in A Long Walk to Water Nya's little sister that is five years old has to walk and carry 5 gallons on her back! The people in third world countries have to endure so much on a daily basis and the least we could do is give back.
McKenna
Water related diseases kill almost 2 million kids a year, that number of kids would fill up 2,300 average sized middle schools in California. The most shocking thing to me was that dehydration was not the only thing that could kill you from a lack of water, that is was diseases found in dirty water, most of which had a severe main symptom of diarrhea. In the book we’ve been reading in class A Long Walk to Water, Nya mentions in her story how her sister is affected by a disease caused by dirty water and she is unable to eat anything without is passing right through her. In Southern Sudan where her family lives there isn’t a medical facility nearby so it takes much more of a struggle than necessary to take her sister to get medical attention.
In Nicaragua alone 200 kids die a year from a diarrheal diseases caused by the lack of clean water. I also learned that lack of clean water could contribute to societal problems such as wars, natural disasters and contamination from agricultural activities and mining. Some of the problems with the water supply in Nicaragua and many other African countries are having undeveloped and contaminated surface water so it is useless, contamination caused by waste and uneven rainfall distribution. H2O For Life,, a service that raise awareness and collect donations to build wells, small dams and rainwater catchment systems for places like Nicaragua. It was inspiring to learn that there are in fact many services such as H2O for life that are trying to solve the water supply problems in African Countries and educate others on what they can do to help.
In Nicaragua alone 200 kids die a year from a diarrheal diseases caused by the lack of clean water. I also learned that lack of clean water could contribute to societal problems such as wars, natural disasters and contamination from agricultural activities and mining. Some of the problems with the water supply in Nicaragua and many other African countries are having undeveloped and contaminated surface water so it is useless, contamination caused by waste and uneven rainfall distribution. H2O For Life,, a service that raise awareness and collect donations to build wells, small dams and rainwater catchment systems for places like Nicaragua. It was inspiring to learn that there are in fact many services such as H2O for life that are trying to solve the water supply problems in African Countries and educate others on what they can do to help.
Amanda
During our unit of learning about water problems in the world we read a book called A Long Walk to Water, a story about the two lives of people who had shared what their life was like with no water. In class we learned about the droughts in third world countries and how water-borne diseases can affect people without any clean water. I discovered that in Nicaragua the three main languages spoken there were Spanish, English, and a native language called Miskito and in science I learned that every 20 seconds a child dies from a water related disease because deadly microorganisms live in the dirty water they drink. During this unit another thing I learned was that women and girls in some parts of the world will walk hours on end to get water, that isn’t even clean, and that would basically take up the time that they could use for going to school.
I think the most shocking thing I learned in this unit was the fact that diseases that we might consider pretty minor could actually be deadly in third world countries that don’t have clean water. Ways that we could help is donate or help out in organizations that help to build wells in these third world countries. We could also help conserve water by turning off the water when brushing our teeth or put a bucket in the bathroom so when waiting for the water to turn warm the bucket could collect the water and that water can be used to water the plants instead of using the sprinklers.
I think the most shocking thing I learned in this unit was the fact that diseases that we might consider pretty minor could actually be deadly in third world countries that don’t have clean water. Ways that we could help is donate or help out in organizations that help to build wells in these third world countries. We could also help conserve water by turning off the water when brushing our teeth or put a bucket in the bathroom so when waiting for the water to turn warm the bucket could collect the water and that water can be used to water the plants instead of using the sprinklers.
Shirlynn
Phoebe
During our water unit, our 7th grade class got to participate in many valuable lessons, all based around one essential liquid – water. We walked 1.7 miles with one gallon of water, trying to simulate what many girls and women must do every day. The only difference? They have to walk 3.7 miles with 5 gallons of water on average. Although we didn’t walk the average distance, even 1.7 miles was tiring. I could hardly imagine walking 3.7 miles, aside from doing it every day! The average American family uses 400 gallons of water per day. As an assignment, we calculated our daily water usage. Some students used over 200 gallons per day – not even counting their family! My water usage was 141.875 gallons per day. Honestly, I felt like a spoiled brat – people in Africa are forced to have a daily water usage of 5 gallons, all used for bathing, drinking, and using the restroom.
We also tackled a short novel, following two kids in Southern Sudan, both in different time periods. One of the characters was simply ecstatic when her village obtained a well, after years of walking every day to fetch water. The other character suffered through war, death, and violence, to finally fund an organization that builds wells for villages in Southern Sudan. In fact, he was the man who got the well installed in the other narrative. This unit helped me to understand that this was real. It’s not a fantasy, or a myth. There are people around the world that die from diarrhea every day. We might not be able to stop that, but we can help by raising money to build wells in villages that need it desperately.
We also tackled a short novel, following two kids in Southern Sudan, both in different time periods. One of the characters was simply ecstatic when her village obtained a well, after years of walking every day to fetch water. The other character suffered through war, death, and violence, to finally fund an organization that builds wells for villages in Southern Sudan. In fact, he was the man who got the well installed in the other narrative. This unit helped me to understand that this was real. It’s not a fantasy, or a myth. There are people around the world that die from diarrhea every day. We might not be able to stop that, but we can help by raising money to build wells in villages that need it desperately.
Gabrielle
During the water unit, we learned about water through science, literature, geography, math, and diverse cultures. What I thought stood out to me the most were the diseases through science, Salva and Nya’s story, and my assigned country of Senegal. In places around the world, people have been affected by some of the four diseases that we had learned about such as Cholera, Cyclosporiasis, Giardiasis, and Typhoid fever. Cholera and Typhoid fever are both bacterium and Cyclosporiasis and Giardiasis are both protozoans also known as “parasites.” Most of the symptoms caused by the diseases are diarrhea, nausea, gas, or cramping and I also got to look at images of what these organisms look like. Some of these diseases are affecting people in the country of Senegal that I have been learning and reading about. In Senegal, there are 13,975,834 people and is located in Western Africa. The weather is usually tropical, humid, and hot with wind when it rains and that the people practice French, Wolof, and Pulaar. In Senegal, 95% of the people practice Muslim and 5% practice Christianity. When we read the book A Long Walk to Water, I already knew what was going to happen because I read it last year but when I first read it I also noticed how hard it was just to get water and all of the hardships that Salva went through to flee from the war. It was very heart breaking when Salva’s close ones had died from unforgettable deaths but at the same time he had to run from the war. I really enjoyed our field trip to the arroyo and back because it really shows how long and how hard it was for Nya and Salva to find water. Our field trip was really nothing compared to their lives and today (the day after the field trip), my arms were very sore and they still are.
What I learned in this unit that surprised me was my daily water usage. That was like awful how much water every day I use compared to the people who don’t have access to clean water. In a year I would have used seventy four thousand seven hundred seventy-nine and three hundred seventy-five thousandths gallons of water. :0 Nya, Salva, and Kenna were the three people who inspired me during this unit. It was really cool to read Nya and Salva’s story to actually get to know other people’s hardships and not just the little tiny hardships of mine such as deleting a whole essay I wrote even though that is very annoying. That story was a perfect example of how hard people travel and live through life with lots of horrible moments.
What I learned in this unit that surprised me was my daily water usage. That was like awful how much water every day I use compared to the people who don’t have access to clean water. In a year I would have used seventy four thousand seven hundred seventy-nine and three hundred seventy-five thousandths gallons of water. :0 Nya, Salva, and Kenna were the three people who inspired me during this unit. It was really cool to read Nya and Salva’s story to actually get to know other people’s hardships and not just the little tiny hardships of mine such as deleting a whole essay I wrote even though that is very annoying. That story was a perfect example of how hard people travel and live through life with lots of horrible moments.
Julia B.
During the water unit, we learned about water through science, literature, geography, math, and diverse cultures. What I thought stood out to me the most were the diseases through science, Salva and Nya’s story, and my assigned country of Senegal. In places around the world, people have been affected by some of the four diseases that we had learned about such as Cholera, Cyclosporiasis, Giardiasis, and Typhoid fever. Cholera and Typhoid fever are both bacterium and Cyclosporiasis and Giardiasis are both protozoans also known as “parasites.” Most of the symptoms caused by the diseases are diarrhea, nausea, gas, or cramping and I also got to look at images of what these organisms look like. Some of these diseases are affecting people in the country of Senegal that I have been learning and reading about. In Senegal, there are 13,975,834 people and is located in Western Africa. The weather is usually tropical, humid, and hot with wind when it rains and that the people practice French, Wolof, and Pulaar. In Senegal, 95% of the people practice Muslim and 5% practice Christianity. When we read the book A Long Walk to Water, I already knew what was going to happen because I read it last year but when I first read it I also noticed how hard it was just to get water and all of the hardships that Salva went through to flee from the war. It was very heart breaking when Salva’s close ones had died from unforgettable deaths but at the same time he had to run from the war. I really enjoyed our field trip to the arroyo and back because it really shows how long and how hard it was for Nya and Salva to find water. Our field trip was really nothing compared to their lives and today (the day after the field trip), my arms were very sore and they still are.
What I learned in this unit that surprised me was my daily water usage. That was like awful how much water every day I use compared to the people who don’t have access to clean water. In a year I would have used seventy four thousand seven hundred seventy-nine and three hundred seventy-five thousandths gallons of water. :0 Nya, Salva, and Kenna were the three people who inspired me during this unit. It was really cool to read Nya and Salva’s story to actually get to know other people’s hardships and not just the little tiny hardships of mine such as deleting a whole essay I wrote even though that is very annoying. That story was a perfect example of how hard people travel and live through life with lots of horrible moments.
What I learned in this unit that surprised me was my daily water usage. That was like awful how much water every day I use compared to the people who don’t have access to clean water. In a year I would have used seventy four thousand seven hundred seventy-nine and three hundred seventy-five thousandths gallons of water. :0 Nya, Salva, and Kenna were the three people who inspired me during this unit. It was really cool to read Nya and Salva’s story to actually get to know other people’s hardships and not just the little tiny hardships of mine such as deleting a whole essay I wrote even though that is very annoying. That story was a perfect example of how hard people travel and live through life with lots of horrible moments.
Reese
Erisa
During the water unit, we had an integrated unit with all of the subjects. Three of the most fascinating things in my mind were looking under microscopes, studying South Africa, and reading A Long Walk to Water. The organisms that we looked at under the microscopes all occurred in people’s drinking water. When I was assigned to research South Africa, I found that they are undergoing a water crisis as well. Reading the book, A Long Walk to Water showed all of us who read it how we can give back. All of these topics have one thing that they share in common. That is, acknowledging how lucky we really are. The fact that girls have to walk eight hours a day just to get water is absurd. After looking under the microscopes we saw that there are living organisms that can easily make you sick. This occurs in many places in the world such as South Africa. Knowing that only twenty percent of the world has access to clean water really took me by surprise. This idea continued when reading our book. In the book, it showed us not only to persevere and how to give back. It also showed us that our experiences can have a huge impact on other people’s lives and change them in a positive way.
As I mentioned before, only twenty percent of the world has access to fresh water. Before the water unit, I had no clue about any of this. The thing is it’s not the saddest part. Girls and women have to walk on average, eight hours a day just to get clean water. Five gallons is at minimum how much we need to survive. The fact that they do this every day just too barely get by shocks me. It shows how lucky we are and that we really shouldn’t be complaining about anything. As in, we are fortunate enough to have filtered water, go to school, and not have to walk eight hours every day. Some people (especially girls) can’t go to school and get a proper education due to walking to get water. There are many different ways we can help though. Such as just talking to your parents/friends about the current water crisis, donating money to organizations, making posters, and maybe even starting your own organization. If we do this, step by step we can stop the water crisis. We can help build wells in villages, help kids get education, and make this world a better place.
As I mentioned before, only twenty percent of the world has access to fresh water. Before the water unit, I had no clue about any of this. The thing is it’s not the saddest part. Girls and women have to walk on average, eight hours a day just to get clean water. Five gallons is at minimum how much we need to survive. The fact that they do this every day just too barely get by shocks me. It shows how lucky we are and that we really shouldn’t be complaining about anything. As in, we are fortunate enough to have filtered water, go to school, and not have to walk eight hours every day. Some people (especially girls) can’t go to school and get a proper education due to walking to get water. There are many different ways we can help though. Such as just talking to your parents/friends about the current water crisis, donating money to organizations, making posters, and maybe even starting your own organization. If we do this, step by step we can stop the water crisis. We can help build wells in villages, help kids get education, and make this world a better place.
Zahra
People living in developing countries spend a lot of their time getting water. For example, in South Africa, women can walk an average of 3.7 miles a day to get the water for their families’ needs. Often the water is dirty and contains contaminants, bacteria, dangerous metals, and viruses. Sometimes this water can cause death, especially in children, as their immune systems are weak. Some people living in rural areas in Africa don’t have the knowledge to prevent water borne diseases. One reason that many people can’t extract water is that it is underground, and they don’t have the tools or equipment to pump it out. Also companies extract too much water before the groundwater source can replenish itself by rain.
Water problems can also arise between tribes living in rural areas. For example, in A Long Walk to Water, the Nuer and Dinka tribes could not determine their territories, and therefore fought over the water. Finally, water rights are also political issue in America. For example, in California, farmers are only allowed a certain amount of water for their crops, and if the crops don’t get enough, they die. There is a debate if the state of California should redistribute water to farms and cities or increase conservation. Living in California, I am aware of the drought, but I still feel fortunate that I can just turn on the tap, and clean water will flow out. This is a basic necessity that many people don’t have.
Water problems can also arise between tribes living in rural areas. For example, in A Long Walk to Water, the Nuer and Dinka tribes could not determine their territories, and therefore fought over the water. Finally, water rights are also political issue in America. For example, in California, farmers are only allowed a certain amount of water for their crops, and if the crops don’t get enough, they die. There is a debate if the state of California should redistribute water to farms and cities or increase conservation. Living in California, I am aware of the drought, but I still feel fortunate that I can just turn on the tap, and clean water will flow out. This is a basic necessity that many people don’t have.
Julia S.
In class, we learned about different countries that were experiencing extremely dry weather conditions. We grappled with the idea that some children have to wake up every morning to get their water. As our Water Unit progressed, we read a novel based on a true story called A Long Walk to Water. The book featured a young boy named Salva and a girl named Nya, both grew up in different time periods. Salva’s story took place in the 1980s and told us about what he had experienced to get away from the war that had threatened his life numerous times. Nya’s story took place in 2008 and it was about the drought and how dry her village was. It talked about how Nya had to walk an interminable amount of times, just to get water for the day. We learned about the great consequences of dirty water as well. We studied four different water borne diseases, Salmonella typhi, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Giardia lamblia and Vibrio cholerae. We learned about what kind of organism each of these different diseases are, for example, Giardia lamblia is a parasite whereas Cyclospora cayetanensis is a bacterium. We talked about what the symptoms of each disease were and discussed it with the class and we drew pictures of the parasite or bacterium of our choice out of the four diseases we learned about. We calculated our daily water usage based off of one day of data collection. From there, we calculated our annual amount of water used, there were really big numbers! I calculated that I use about 162 gallons of water a day and 59, 130 gallons a year!
I was really surprised at the amount of water I used in one day. I always thought of myself as a water saving person who doesn’t waste too much water. I was even more surprised at my yearly water usage. I was also surprised on how far the average woman in a developing country had to walk to get water. Did you know that the average woman has to walk 3.7 miles to get water? That’s a long distance to walk every day. This Water Unit really encouraged us to think about what we can do to help, so classes before ours created Water Warriors. They help raise money so we can build wells in developing countries like the Dominican Republic and some regions of Africa. This inspired me to be more aware of my water usage and tell others about the scarcity of water. Hopefully others are aware of this water crisis as well so we can help everyone get the water they need.
I was really surprised at the amount of water I used in one day. I always thought of myself as a water saving person who doesn’t waste too much water. I was even more surprised at my yearly water usage. I was also surprised on how far the average woman in a developing country had to walk to get water. Did you know that the average woman has to walk 3.7 miles to get water? That’s a long distance to walk every day. This Water Unit really encouraged us to think about what we can do to help, so classes before ours created Water Warriors. They help raise money so we can build wells in developing countries like the Dominican Republic and some regions of Africa. This inspired me to be more aware of my water usage and tell others about the scarcity of water. Hopefully others are aware of this water crisis as well so we can help everyone get the water they need.
Evelyn
During this journey that I have had with my classmates during the Water Unit, I have gained knowledge about issues and information that I had never known before. Even before the Water Unit, I knew how important and vital water is to all of our lives, and how here, in California, water is especially precious to us because we're in a major drought. What I did not know was how many people in the world are deprived of access to clean water, and how long, time-consuming, and laborious it is to have to walk every day to get to water. Here at Westridge, sometimes we take water for granted. When we turn on the faucet, we expect clean, filtered water, and we would cringe and refuse if the water came out dirty and brown; we each have sanitary, useable toilets in our school and our houses; we don't drink tap water, and we prefer the more "drinkable" purified water.
Looking at the statistics, 663 million people don't have access to clean water, and 1 in 3 people don't even have a toilet. 663 million is 1 in every 10 people in the world – about twice the population of America! Since much of the water that people drink is not clean, a child dies of water-borne diseases every 90 seconds. After reading the novel based on a true story, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park, we are introduced to two characters: Salva Dut and Nya. I was especially intrigued by Nya, a young village girl who fetches water for her family every day. Many people in the world are like Nya; each day, women and children spend 125 million hours traveling long distances to collect water, and many girls do not have access to education. As being apart in an all-girls school, I think that the Water Unit has opened my eyes to many water-related issues in this world, and hope that we can all spread awareness of the issue of access to clean water to many more students like us.
Looking at the statistics, 663 million people don't have access to clean water, and 1 in 3 people don't even have a toilet. 663 million is 1 in every 10 people in the world – about twice the population of America! Since much of the water that people drink is not clean, a child dies of water-borne diseases every 90 seconds. After reading the novel based on a true story, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park, we are introduced to two characters: Salva Dut and Nya. I was especially intrigued by Nya, a young village girl who fetches water for her family every day. Many people in the world are like Nya; each day, women and children spend 125 million hours traveling long distances to collect water, and many girls do not have access to education. As being apart in an all-girls school, I think that the Water Unit has opened my eyes to many water-related issues in this world, and hope that we can all spread awareness of the issue of access to clean water to many more students like us.
Bella T.
Many people in the United States have no idea about the effects of unclean water in other countries. Most people in the U.S.A. have never even known the horrible consequences of drinking from an unclean water source, filled with disease. These diseases cause diarrhea, cramps, and even death. Every hour, at least two hundred children under the age of five die from a waterborne disease. In Africa, women wake up at dawn every morning to fetch water that is not even sanitary. Having this task upon them, young girls miss out on education, and even if they are in school, a number of girls drop out. This is becoming so common in Africa, and more families are losing members due to unsanitary water. These problems are most common in third world countries; the people cannot afford access to clean water. This even leads to fighting and conflict, just for a clean water source.
As I said before, most of us will never know what it is like, to walk for miles every day, to lose our education, to fight…just for a basic resource. When we turn on a faucet, we expect water. Most other people don’t have that luxury that we take for granted. I was shocked when my class and I watched a short movie and saw open sewers running through the streets of a village in Africa. I never would have imagined that people would actually live in those conditions. Thankfully, Westridge School is home to a club called, Water Warriors. They raise money every year and donate to an organization called H2O for Life. With those donations, clean water pumps are built, and fear of sickness is vanquished in countries without sanitary water. We and other people are providing hope for the people in third world countries that are not as developed at we are. We are making a stand in this world. We are helping those who need it most. These people don’t deserve to watch family suffer, to succumb to disease. But, if enough people pitch in, we can make a difference.
As I said before, most of us will never know what it is like, to walk for miles every day, to lose our education, to fight…just for a basic resource. When we turn on a faucet, we expect water. Most other people don’t have that luxury that we take for granted. I was shocked when my class and I watched a short movie and saw open sewers running through the streets of a village in Africa. I never would have imagined that people would actually live in those conditions. Thankfully, Westridge School is home to a club called, Water Warriors. They raise money every year and donate to an organization called H2O for Life. With those donations, clean water pumps are built, and fear of sickness is vanquished in countries without sanitary water. We and other people are providing hope for the people in third world countries that are not as developed at we are. We are making a stand in this world. We are helping those who need it most. These people don’t deserve to watch family suffer, to succumb to disease. But, if enough people pitch in, we can make a difference.
Zelia
The water unit to some may seem like a regular chapter in our learning, but really it’s a way to empathize with others that may not have access to clean water. On Wednesday the seventh grade class traveled about 2 miles with a gallon of water. This project was to acknowledge the other girls in rural areas in Africa who had to do this every day. After the walk several of my muscles were sore, which is funny because other kids have to walk more and carry 5 times as much water along with doing it every single day. Another part of the water unit I found interesting was the statistics. For example, when I was working on the math homework I was extremely intrigued in the numbers. I ended up using a lot more water than other kids in the world like in South Sudan. About 20 times as much in fact. I also thought that the book “A long walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park had a very complex story line. I found it really neat how both stories of Nya and Salva connected at the end of the book. This book really helped me grasp the ideas we learned in the water unit.
What really inspired me during the water unit was the artist Kenna and how he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money to build water pumps in Africa. He put his whole life at risk to help others which I think is a beautiful sacrifice.
What really inspired me during the water unit was the artist Kenna and how he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money to build water pumps in Africa. He put his whole life at risk to help others which I think is a beautiful sacrifice.