I am a senior at Laney High School. For my senior Project i took on a goal to raise 1,000 dollars for a water well in Kenya. i reach above my goal of 1,640 dollars. This was for a senior project at my school. It meant much more to me than just a good grade. heres my senior speech on what i learned this semester;

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Shelbey Rommell

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Mid-term Speech

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INTRO

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There are a lot of things that are not “right” in this world. Peter Chase, the founder of The Water Project, once explained “Suffering, inequality, poverty, disease, you name it, each has devastating effects on billions of people’s lives, yet… So many of the difficult issues facing the world’s poor can be traced back to the lack of clean water” Without clean water, it is impossible to grow crops, to give water to there animals, or drink without getting a disease. It is extremely important for the people of America to become aware of the people in poverty-stricken Kenya dying everyday of water borne-illnesses, and to understand the ways Kenya can be aided, including programs such as the Water Project.

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Many wonder about the history back ground of Kenya, and what life is like in a third-world country. Many tribes fought for land, raiding one another for wealth in the form of cattle, their women and taking one another as slaves. They cooperated in hard times, like droughts. Kenya is independent along with being a beautiful mix of cities and country sides, mountains, and deserts. Kenya has amazing potential despite the poverty, to earn a living in Kenya, 80% of people fish and farm; however, only 7% of Kenya’s land is actually suitable for farming and only 1% is made for agricultural. And of these jobs require clean, accessible water.

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Kenya is poor because the obvious reason: the people. Every African who was not in the government blamed corrupted African leaders for their downfall. Some say Africa is not poor, but is poorly managed. Whitnee Mays confirmed, “The resources are limited. There is not much structure in the government. There is no organization, which means no jobs, nor money.” Surprisingly, one of the greatest and also the most overlooked cause of poverty in Africa is the lack of clean water. Tribes in Kenya wage water wars, these wars in Kenya were some of the world’s first skirmishes due to climate change. People walk miles with their tribes to underground springs. When they finally reach the spring, they find water guards armed with guns and ready to kill them.

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Nearly two million children a year die for want of clean water and proper sanitation, How are there supposed to be schools open to educate children if there is no water for even the teachers to drink? One cannot educate children, who are sick, and one cannot pull a country out of poverty if they are not educated; this creates a vicious cycle of dirty water and poor education.

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Relieving hunger in Africa has to begin with clean drinking water. The population in Kenya is 36.6 million per year and the population growth is 2.6% and is still growing. Large populations of women and children are spending up to one-third of their day getting water in the hot sun to the nearest fresh water source and this is clearly physically grueling.

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One in four Kenyans are tested positive for (HIV) the virus that causes AIDS. “Kenyans believe that if they have sex with a virgin, there diseases will be cured,” Mays noted. Kenya has some learning programs that have helped slow the rate of illnesses by trying to teach them about health and how to prevent from spreading infection.

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It even costs the family money for their children to go to school. It is a huge privilege to be educated in Kenya. The kids there love to go to school and they want to, because if they go to school they can get a better job just like in America. More kids could be in school but instead they are walking to get water for their families. Organizations around the world are fighting for Kenyans well being weather it is through sending goods, such as food and water, raising money to donate, supporting missionaries like Mays, or volunteer to work personally with the Kenyans, in an effort to teach them how to live more cultured.

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Two solutions are called The Water Project and Water to Wine. Both of these organizations have very similar goals to get water to third-world countries like Kenya. How people can help locally besides trying to raise money to send to organizations are volunteer, or go on a mission trip with a church. People can help paint houses and fix up yards with a church. You can also make a fundraiser page online like here on the board (point to board) “Give, give, and give,” Mays declared.

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Programs like The Water Project or local missionaries like Mays know how extremely important it is for the people in America to become aware of the people in poverty-stricken Kenya dying everyday of water borne-illnesses. Five million deaths every year are caused by people drinking polluted water. There is a little Kenyan girl dying from parasites in an orphanage craving a cup of clean water to drink. People don’t have to move to Kenya to make a difference. Anyone can make a change by, turning off the running water while brushing their teeth. It is little things like these that count the most.

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INTRO

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My research topic is “Water For Kenya” My product was selling water T-shirts, wristbands, help set up a church camp, to raise 1000$ or more along with telling people about the desperate need for clean water in third world countries like poverty-stricken Kenya. I chose this research topic because I have great interest in helping other people in Kenya who need water, mainly because I have seen those people personally.

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PRODUCT

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The connection between my research paper and my product was I informed people that others are dying in poverty-stricken places like Kenya, and how clean water is an necessity in changing that, because of my research paper I was able to learn so much more about Kenya and I was able to back up my facts while I was informing people about Kenya. My product was to raise 1000$ to donate to “The Water Project” for a water well that is being built in Kenya. I chose this product because I wanted to give back to others. I was going to do my senior project on learning guitar, but instead, after time to think about what would really matter; I decided that raising money to save some ones life was what I wanted to do compared to something selfish like learning how to play an instrument. Some of the people who helped me complete my product was my mentor, she is incredible. She was so giving of her time and she actually cared about what I was doing for the people in Kenya because she also has been to the country.

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 My church was a huge help to me. They allowed me to participating in their camp. I helped them out with what ever they needed me to do. They also needed a local mission and my product was perfect to fit into that category. My family also helped me out with being patient; they invested much time and money into my product. I will say with out my Graduation project teacher, Ms. McCarthy, with her encouragement, spunky attitude, and 100% willing to help us through what ever we needed, I would not have completed my project. She made all her students feel very confident about all of our products.

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The hardest part of my Project was dealing with the stress of it all. It scared me a lot to think I may not be able to raise enough money. My research paper was also really stressful. I know my product will benefit a village in Kenya. I know that a little girl in Kenya will have a cup of clean water to rely on when she’s thirst, and that makes my satisfied with that I completed. The process in my Product was very challenging to put together. It took a lot of patients because my project took a long process to complete. I first had to find a mentor, which was probably the easiest part of my project. I met with a graphic designer that I met through some of my older college friends, he graphed and designed my T-shirts for free, which was a big deal because he did something for me that took time and money. Finding a way to help my church with the camp and fitting into the local mission was fun and great. Along with helping set up with my church I was at school and all around Wilmington selling T-shirts, wristbands and water bottles with labels on them that I made and put on the water bottles on my own. Getting through the camp was very stressful but at the same time after raising the money then donating it I felt like I had completed something great for someone else. I spent 100 hours plus on my product, I also invested about 1,400$ into my product out of my saving. I was very fearful of committing that much of my savings to my product but in the end I made they money back and more to donate. I donated 200$ of my own money. I gave myself to my project.

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CONCLUSION

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This product was a learning stretch for me because it taught me a lot about Kenya, really the country all together. This product gave me a different point of view about life. It made me realize even more that WilmingtonNorth Carolina is not the only place in the world. I believe we get to so wrapped up into where we are in the moment. We forget everyday there are people in the world… that are screaming silently for help. Weather it’s a baby unborn who is being aborted. A homeless man who lost his job, wife, kids, and his life all together because he became an alcoholic. The girl who doesn’t eat, who’s slowly killing herself. Kenya is far away. We see all these things around us here in America. But there is a woman, in a third world country holding her sick child, willing to do anything to give her son a cup of clean water. And she can’t help herself, because of the history of corruptness in her country.

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 I feel Graduation project has changed my heart in wanting to help people more. It’s hard for me to say no to people who need a ride somewhere, or money. Its probably not always the best thing to not be able to turn someone down. But learning from my project and hearing others speeches about how they are trying to help disabled children, raise money to help find a cure for cancer, even animals who are being put to sleep. It sticks out to me now when I see someone walking on the side of the road. I can’t not help but want to help them, and know what I can do to help.

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Some things I have learned about my self were that I want to help other people. I know when I go to college I need to pursue a career that I will be able to reach people and help them with their struggles. I know I am able to help people in many ways, despite my age, and my little resources if I put my mind in doing something I can do it. I will use the knowledge I gained through this project in college. Also pursuing whom ever I will end up marrying will also want to support that I want to save people. Weather its moving somewhere like Africa or adopting a child from a third world country. That is what I want to do, and I wouldn’t have realized that with out completing this project.

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 Every donation helped also. Thanks you so much for reading and participating.
-Shelbey Rommell
If you guys want to ask me any questions or ideas to raise money, you can reach me at my e-mail. [email protected]