Come join the Global 6K for Water! April 28, 2018

By: Anja Linkwitz

On the 28th of April, we are coming together in Redwood City to walk or run six kilometers for a great cause. Why 6K? Because six kilometers is the daily average distance that people in the Congo need to walk in order to get water. By participating, you will raise money that will go towards making wells for those people. This run is being hosted by the Peninsula Community Center in Redwood City, so please join their team by going to http://wearepcc.com/events/global-6k-for-water/.

Why am I involved? I am an eighth grader at Woodland School, currently working on a year long, individual project called Capstone. In Capstone, as students, we each research a world issue that we feel strongly about and then take action by creating a sustainable change to the problem. For my project, I am working to help people in the DRC (the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in Central Africa and is ranked the poorest country in the world. This is a result of all of the wars, corruption, and poverty happening in their country. Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo is very rich with valuable minerals, only their miners and the government get the money. Almost 95% of the Congolese don’t have jobs, and therefore, are very poor. Over 10,000 of the kids live without a home. If you want to help these families from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, you could:

• Join The global 6K on April 28th, which gives people in developing countries (like the Congo) better access to clean water.
• If you can’t make it to the 6k, or if you would like to give even more, donate to the Congo Voice . They need help building a new medical clinic for the Congolese.

I care about this issue because 4 years ago, my family and I began to sponsor a girl from the Congo named Charmante with World Vision Organization. Charmante lives in a family of 8 kids and her mom. Charmante and I have been writing back and forth, learning about each other’s lives. I’ve learned that she speaks french, she lives with her mom and siblings, and she wants to become a nurse. She loves being with her family and going to school. I hope to keep in touch with her and maybe even meet her someday. Each month, we send her and her family money in order to help them pay for food, school, medicine, and other resources. The people from the Congo are some of the kindest people I know. That’s why it’s important to me that they get our help. I hope to see you running or walking along side me at the 6K on the 28th!

If you want to learn more about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, go visit:

• Washington Post - Going for Congo's Gold
• Save the Children - Help DRC Children
• BBC News - DR Congo: Cursed by its Natural Wealth
• Congo Voice - Why the Congo?