Ada Harris students fund well to provide clean water to South Sudanese village

An Ada Harris School project seven years in the making recently became a reality, bringing clean, safe water to a village in South Sudan. Over the years, Ada Harris’ fifth-grade classes from 2018 to 2025 collectively raised funds to construct the well. Each year the fifth graders passed the fundraising torch. To meet their goal, about 400 students participated, selling friendship bracelets, baked goods and handmade magnets, organizing carnation sales and manning lemonade stands.

“It’s incredible to think that our Ada Harris village in Cardiff is serving a village across the world by giving families reliable access to clean water,” said Janelle Scheftner, principal of Ada Harris School in a news release. “For Ada Harris students, the project not only represents compassion in action but also highlights the importance of perseverance, creativity and global citizenship.”

The fifth-grade class of 2018 was inspired to take on the project after reading the New York Times bestseller “A Long Walk to Water”  by Linda Sue Park.

The novel tells the true story of Salva Dut, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who was separated from his family during the Sudanese Civil War and eventually found refuge in camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. Interwoven into Dut’s story is the fictional character of Nya, a young girl who spends eight hours each day walking to collect water, a reality faced by many women in Sudan.

Through reading the book, students learned about the hardships of walking daily for water, the dangers faced by communities and Dut’s real-life journey, which led him to create the organization Water for South Sudan, which brings clean water to communities in need.

“Bringing clean water to the village is only the first step in a ripple effect that will transform the community in many positive ways,” said Sue Yant, fifth grade teacher at Ada Harris and project representative in the news release. “With water close to home, girls who once walked hours each day for water can now attend school. Clean water also supports basic hygiene, sanitation, crops, and local trade. The construction of this well is a powerful example of how young people can spark lasting global change.”

Student donations were made to Water for South Sudan to build the new well. According to the news release, the well was dug this spring in Mall Monyjoc PHCU in Warrap State, South Sudan, a project led by village chief Mathus Bol Kuol. The students’ commitment and contribution is commemorated on the well, with the Ada Harris and Cardiff by the Sea name engraved on the top.

“As the new school year begins at Ada Harris, we are all excited to see what the next generations of students will do,” Scheftner said. “Students today have the resources, inspiration, and power to make changes anywhere in the world. I’m incredibly grateful to be in a position to promote this kind of change first-hand.”