Wii Tournament Raises Money for Wells

Youths at Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Trenton, Ontario, used a Mario Kart Wii tournament to help raise $2,500 for a well in Africa.

The tournament was part of several activities to raise awareness of and money for The Water Project, a non-profit organization that brings access to clean water and proper sanitation to communities around the world.

The youths also spent two weeks drinking only water, donating money they would have spent on soft drinks, coffee, or other beverages.

Another activity that hit home was carrying 5 gallons of water for 1 kilometer (.6 miles). Seven kilometers is not uncommon for an African child to walk for water each day.

Five gallons of water equals about 40 pounds, and the Trenton young people found that a challenge. “The seriousness of the water issue in Africa is worse than I thought,” said Caleb De Vries. “I am a lot more grateful for clean water.”

“It has been such an amazing experience educating the youths about global water issues and having them get excited,” said youth leader Sonja Hengeveld. “It was empowering for [them] to realize that even though they may be young, they can still do great things to make a difference in our world.”

Teen Andrew Wryghte agreed. “Even if we do very small things, they still can do a lot of good.”