Featured Fundraisers: Arabella and Lola raised $15k!

Our fundraisers are incredibly precious to us at The Water Project (TWP). It’s through their generosity of spirit, time, and funds that we’re able to bring safe and reliable water to the people who need it most.

This week, we’re spotlighting two intrepid teenage fundraisers named Arabella and Lola. They have worked so hard to gather support and donations for our cause. We thought it only fitting to show you how amazing they are!

At the time of this post, Arabella and Lola’s fundraising page sits just a few thousand dollars shy of its $15,000 goal. We’re sure they would love it if their story inspired you to tip that counter over the edge!

7/12/23 Update: As of this week, Arabella and Lola’s page exceeded their fundraising goal! Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this possible.

TWP: What inspired you to raise money to help others get access to water? 

Arabella and Lola (A&L): We were immediately inspired when we visited South Africa in June of 2021. The trip’s purpose was to do safaris, but as we drove through different towns, we saw endless poverty. We soon learned that some of these towns did not have water, and that women and girls had to walk all day in order to get water, instead of receiving any form of education. This made us realize how lucky and privileged we are and that we wanted to make a change and help these African citizens. 

TWP: What stuck out to you about The Water Project? What made you work with us over other organizations doing similar work? 

A&L: We were instantly drawn to [The Water Project’s] page because of your dedication to the cause. Your passion and commitment for these issues really resonated with us and aligned with our values and goals. [The Water Project]’s efforts to address these challenges and create positive change and your genuine desire to improve the lives of those you help was very inspiring to us, and we wanted to do the same. 

TWP: How are you getting the word out about your fundraising page? 

A&L: We get the word out about our fundraising page in a few different ways. We send emails to our contacts encouraging donations, host bake sales in our school in order to raise funds and inform students about our cause, and we also partnered with Barry’s Bootcamp and hosted a class where half of the proceeds went to our fundraiser. 

TWP: How do you feel about your page’s success? 

A&L: We feel very happy about our success, as we have raised around $12,000. We still have more fundraising to go but are proud of the progress made so far and will surely continue to make progress. 

TWP: What advice would you give someone else thinking about starting their own fundraising page? 

A&L: We would advise them to plan different events that will help fundraise. We would also advise them to get the word out about their fundraiser, whether it be in school or through social media. By raising awareness about the cause, raising funds becomes much easier. It is important to inform donors about why they should donate and who they will help. 

TWP: We’re still waiting to see whether the page will meet its amazingly ambitious goal. Do you have any plans for celebration if and when the goal is reached?

A&L: When we reach our goal, we will continue fundraising and will also have a celebration with our supporters and donors. We are planning to raise more awareness for the cause within our school to get more students involved.

TWP: You’ve witnessed girls’ struggle to get water for their households firsthand during your trip to Africa. How has that affected your perspective on your way of life?

A&L: Witnessing and understanding this has drastically changed our perspective on life as it helped us realize and understand how incredibly lucky we are, and it also helped us realize that we wanted to use our privileges in order to help others who do not have the same opportunities in their lives as we do. 

TWP: What are your supporters saying, and what do they think of the campaign?

A&L: Our supporters are mindblown about the progress we have made. They also are eager to help with the cause and are very impressed about our campaign. Most do not know any children our age who are eager and willing to help another population, so they are very inspired by our efforts.

TWP: Have any of your supporters also expressed an interest in helping people get clean water?

A&L: Many of our supporters have expressed interest in helping people get clean water. They have helped us fundraise and raise awareness about the cause, and are hoping to one day see the well that was built. 

TWP: We hope the success of your page gives you the confidence to tackle similar world-changing endeavors in the future. What’s next for both of you? 

A&L: We both want to continue using our opportunities in order to help others who are less fortunate, as we are strong believers of giving back to our global community. The success of our page so far has helped us realize that if we put our mind to something, we can achieve it. This will definitely help us tackle similar challenges.

TWP: What are your dreams for your futures?

A&L: Our dreams for our futures are to help others in need throughout our entire lives. We always want to give back to our community, as we are so fortunate in so many ways. We will both continue to raise money for causes we support and hope to make a real change in our world. This project has opened our eyes to rethinking possible careers as we now would like to base our future careers around helping those in need. 

If you’re passionate about water, too, we invite you to create your own fundraising page with us. For ideas on how to host your own event, like Arabella and Lola suggested, check out our Fundraising Ideas, or email our philanthropy team. We’re happy to help get you started!