By Devlin Smith

The African Well Fund and Diane Yoder, AWF's board vice chairman, are the featured story in the August edition of Africare's Pass It On campaign. The article and video now featured on Africare's homepage highlight a trip Yoder and fellow board member Angela Martens took to Ghana in 2009 to visit AWF project sites.

Pass It On is a 16-month-long online campaign connecting Africare supporters with the stories of people overcoming major challenges impacting Africa, including lack of access to safe water, food insecurity and the growing number of children orphaned by AIDS. Pass It On launched in Sept. 2009 and will run through Dec. 2010. Each story featured in the campaign is ready to "pass on" through video, social networks, e-mail or by phone.

Yoder answered a few questions about her role in the Pass It On campaign and the impact she believes it will have on those who follow it.

How did you get involved with the Pass It On campaign?
In a very unexpected way. I was traveling in Ghana with fellow board member Angela Martens and several Africare staff members, one of whom was Nicole Eley, Africare's media relations manager. Nicole had been traveling in Africa for several weeks filming stories for Africare's Pass It On campaign. While we were visiting African Well Fund sites in Ghana, Nicole asked if she could interview me at one of the well sites for possible inclusion in the campaign. I agreed, a bit reluctantly, I am not really comfortable on camera, but I wanted to do whatever I could to help showcase the wonderful work Africare is doing in Africa.

What do you hope people who read your story and watch your video will learn?
Two things, that there are too many people in our world today that are living under intolerable conditions and that everyone can do something to help alleviate those conditions.

What was your reaction when you first saw the video?
It was great to see the people and communities we had visited in Ghana again. It was an amazing trip and we met so many incredible people.

The video highlights a trip to Ghana you and fellow board member Angela Martens took last year. What are some of the memories the video sparked for you?
The most indelible memory is of the first community we visited, Agravi, in the Wassa Amenfi West District. We were to make a brief visit to see the well there before heading to a planned latrine commissioning ceremony at a school in the Sabena community. We had driven down a narrow, rutted road but had to walk the final few meters. As we neared the community, we could hear singing in the distance. We rounded the bend and were greeted by a group of dancing, singing children who led us to the well where the remainder of the community had gathered. The well was adorned with a bow and I was just overcome with emotion. It was the first AWF-funded project I had seen in person and the joy and pride emanating from the community was overwhelming.

How do you think the Pass It On video will benefit AWF and Africare?
I think the video allows people to see the concrete results that can be achieved with just a little bit of assistance. I am a founding member of AWF and have learned so much through our partnership with Africare. The trip to Ghana cemented my confidence in Africare's approach to development. So much has been written about aid to Africa being misused or not getting to the people who really need it. What I witnessed in Ghana was the polar opposite of this assertion. The projects we visited were implemented in a thorough, thoughtful manner, with priority given to sustainability and community involvement.

What advice do you have for people who are inspired to get involved by this and the other Pass It On stories?
That it is easier to get involved than you think. AWF is made up of individuals who felt the pull to do something more. We come from all walks of life and we all volunteer our time. We have been able to help people a continent away in ways we never dreamed of, but we all feel we could do so much more. We are constantly looking for new volunteers. Because we are grassroots and because we are Internet based, you can volunteer from your living room. Most of us got involved in AWF by sending an e-mail or posting on a forum. That's what I did and seven years later I was in Ghana visiting projects we had helped bring to fruition. My advice is to act on the urge to get involved--you will not regret it.

Anything else you would like to add about Pass It On?
Just that I am honored and humbled to be a part of the campaign. I urge everyone to watch and read all the Pass It On stories. They highlight truly remarkable people doing truly remarkable things. The Pass It On Stories show what can be accomplished when you provide people with some very basic resources and should leave you with a feeling of hope for Africa's future. Pass It On for Africare!

The African Well Fund has posted a flier for download by volunteers interested in printing and distributing the flier at upcoming U2 360° Tour dates in Europe. You can view and download the flier here.

The quarter-page flier features the lyrics "Only Love ... Can Leave Such a Mark" and hearts marking the 12 African nations where AWF has funded projects. The flier says, "It is estimated that over 250 million people on the African continent lack access to safe, clean drinking water and basic sanitation facilities. Since its founding in 2002, the African Well Fund has raised more than $700,000 to build water projects in 12 African nations, benefiting more than 250,000 people. How will you leave your mark? Visit www.africanwellfund.org today."

If you're interested in printing and distributing fliers for upcoming U2 shows, please contact dsmith@africanwellfund.org with the tour dates you will be attending.

Seventh graders at North Middle School in Belleville, Mich., completed their third fundraiser for the African Well Fund during the recent spring semester. Through a variety of fundraising activities, including a spaghetti dinner hosted at the middle school, the students raised $5,730 which will be used to fund water and sanitation projects in Buhera, Zimbabwe.

Steven Hudock is social studies department chair and a sixth and seventh grade gifted talented teacher at North Middle School. He answered a few questions the benefits these fundraisers have had for his students and shared some comments students had about the fundraiser in a recent survey Hudock conducted.

North Middle School seventh graders have been raising money for AWF for three years. Why do you feel it's important for your students to raise money each year?
In the seventh grade Michigan curriculum, students are required to learn about the Eastern Hemisphere. Students are also supposed to be active in researching a global issue, problem solving and presenting on said issue. Africa is a continent riddled with social, economic and political issues, and is an area which we teach. Students and teachers alike find it to be where our efforts should be focused when it comes to these areas of our curriculum. Moreover, it seems like so many have taken from Africa and that it is time to give back.

Furthermore, we are talking about a basic necessity, something most of us take for granted on a daily basis. One student [Sreyas Narayanan] commented on his survey: "It's (our efforts) very helpful for the African people and it makes Americans think of how much they waste and how much things they take for granted."

Not only do we need to realize that we have these benefits/luxuries, but there is also the idea of being a global community. The need exists to help everyone and in return we all benefit. Another student [Marquis Morgan] commented on his survey: "I feel that it is really helping the people of Africa because you never know. There could be a child in Africa who we help who could become a scientist and invent things we'll use and your (our) help could be his/her motivation."

How do you tie the fundraiser in with the curriculum?
The fundraiser gives the students their voice, I feel. We not only do the spaghetti dinner where students have responsibilities to serve as entertainment, educators, informers, as well as cooks and servers, but we also allow students to try their own way of problem solving and fundraising. We are trying to have students be active citizens in our global world and encourage them to come up with ways they can contribute. Last school year a student and his parent sponsored our "Bowling for Africa" event. This year students and parents created and donated gift baskets for our raffle. Students personally collected money from families and wrote letters to family members, celebrities and politicians for donations.

The fundraising is tied to the curriculum because it gets students involved in community service, but it also requires them to write, present and read. They create a product (letter, presentation, etc) and take it to the public. This is real-world application and students love this. Not to mention, they thrive to make it better than something they would just hand in to their teacher for a grade.

How do the school and community get involved in your fundraiser?
Our PTO [parent teacher organization] sponsors our spaghetti dinner fundraiser. This means they pay for the product as well as prepare it along with our students. This year our police chief donated some of the spaghetti and sauce. Local businesses from individuals making products to sell to larger chains or restaurants make donations for our item raffle at our spaghetti dinner. Students solicit businesses as well as write letters to local politicians and federal politicians asking for support.

Seventh grader Megan Seay received the following note from Michigan State House of Representatives member Dian Slavens:

Dear Mr. Hudock, 7th Grade class, and Megan Seay, I am very impressed with the great work you are doing at North Middle School! Not only are you learning about Africa and its water source, you are doing something to make a difference. I am so proud to see such hard working educators and students actively changing the lives of so many people, in a positive way. Enclosed is a $50 check for your project. I will attempt to make it to your spaghetti dinner, if session does not run late. Again Thank You!!!

Warm Regards,
Dian Slavens

Rep. Slavens attended our spaghetti dinner last year and, as you see, continues to be support of our efforts. I believe our students do a great job trying to get community support. Also our spaghetti dinner supports our community as well. It provides a very reasonable meal for families in our district as well as an opportunity for our community to come together, socialize with one another, and support a cause.

This year, the students raised over $5,700. How did they feel knowing they raised that much?
Izzy Wilcox, a seventh grade student wrote, "I like knowing that we helped them."

I really feel that this is the sentiment of all of our students. This year particularly was difficult. Our district, like most in the nation, faced and went through some severe budget cuts; these cuts eliminated our teaming initiative, which made this project more difficult to manage and placed more responsibilities on the students. This being said, combined with the economic difficulties especially in our region of the country, the $5,730 our students raised speaks a lot about their desire to help the people of Africa.

How does participating in this fundraiser impact your students?
"I am glad that we got to help save lives in Africa. I believe that we really did make a difference in our world," wrote Olivia Borgdorff, a seventh grade student.

As you can see, participating in this fundraising event makes our students feel they have made a difference. They feel accomplished. I can quote survey after survey that would give you sentiments like Olivia's above. Our students really feel and know they have brought about great change in the lives and future lives of many people.

What have been some of the highlights of this year's fundraiser for you?
Our spaghetti dinner is always a highlight. Many of our students work this event by greeting guests. I was particularly impressed this year with a group of boys who headed up our water-carry station. As guests arrive, students greet them, ask them to carry water and explain why they are carrying the water. This group of boys had their spiel down and was letting no one through without them listening and understanding why they were carrying water.

Our final assembly is also a highlight. This year we recognized over 60 individual students for their individual efforts of going above and beyond the norm to help with this project. This means they secured donations as well as put in extra time themselves to help our efforts.

Students' African art and poetry was displayed in the halls. Also a pleasant surprise was when Ms. Knight, an art teacher at our high school, stopped by with an envelope of money that her art students took upon themselves to donate to our cause. This year is the first year we have former students who did this project at our high school, so it is nice to see they have an interest in supporting each year's effort. To me this is what we were (are) trying to instill in them when they were here doing it themselves. This entire project is a highlight for our school and community.

Anything else you would like to add about this year's fundraiser?
Just that I am so very proud of our students' efforts and their dedication. They did a fantastic job. I am also very thankful for such dedicated and supportive faculty, administration, parents, and community that were so involved with our efforts this year. We continue to make the world a better place through our efforts.

To read about North Middle School's 2008 African Well Fund fundraiser, click here. To read about the school's 2009 fundraiser, click here. If your school is interested in raising funds for AWF, download our Educational Kit here or e-mail volunteers@africanwellfund.org for more information.