Angelita Fasnacht has traveled all over the world, including stops in many African countries.
She’s also worked in water engineering for 17 years.
And now, her dreams of combining the two are coming true.
Fasnacht, who has a daughter in first grade at Bret Harte Elementary, teamed up with the school’s PTA members and two other organizations to establish “Walk for Water,” one of the school’s events aimed at raising money for the St. André Catholic School of Pouma, Cameroon.
The school is located in a part of the country that is rural and highly populated, Fasnacht said.
For many young women in the region, about five hours of the day is devoted to searching for clean water.
Sometimes, women will walk two hours to a water well, only to find that it has run dry.
Fasnacht reached out to H2O for Life, a non-profit organization that matches schools and other organizations with schools in developing countries that need clean water, sanitation and hygiene education.
The school is also working with A-WASH: Ambassador’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools Initiative.
At St. André Catholic School, students have no access to clean water. Students use what is basically an outhouse and have no way to wash their hands after they use the facility.
Fasnacht said many young women leave school by the time they hit puberty because they don’t have the privacy or resources they need.
The school is raising money to help install a clean water well, add proper bathroom facilities and provide hygiene education to the students at St. André’s.
In total, the project is expected to cost about $18,000 said Tracy Forlenza, Bret Harte’s past PTA president.
The school is aiming to raise $2,000 to contribute to the school, with additional donations coming from various other organizations.
The school held its “Walk for Water” on Sunday, Oct. 23, but Forlenza said the fundraising efforts would continue throughout the school year.
She said the school is planning to hold a pajama day, where students can wear their PJs if they donate $1 to the Walk for Water fund.
Students at Bret Harte are learning, discussing and asking questions about what life is like for students in other parts of the world during class time.
“H2O for Life provided training materials, so we showed a video of what it’s like there. (Bret Harte students learned) that there, students go to school just like them, but they’re walking three or four hours for water,” Forlenza said. “It’s hard for children, the concept itself. But our principal explained it’s part of life.”
Fasnacht said it is important for students and parents alike to learn about other cultures.
“The United States has its difficult economic problems. Despite that, the United States is wealthy compared to other countries. We can help,” Fasnacht said. “We have comfortable houses, running water and bathrooms. Many don’t have that. Kids should know some of that reality.”
Fasnacht said that even within Cameroon, certain regions of the country are vastly different from others.
She said she’s hoping the country’s government will take note of what is being done to help schools there.
“Not all Cameroon is like that. Some parts are very developed and the socio-economics are different. The gap is very big,” Fasnacht said. “The goal is to make the government of Cameroon aware.”
Both Forlenza and Fasnacht said they’ve been encouraged by the discussions students have had about the school they are working to help.
“They know that halfway around the world, there’s still kids their age,” Forlenza said.
If you’re interested in donating to the St. André Catholic School in Pouma, Cameroon, you can mail a check payable to H2O for Life to Bret Harte Elementary School, Attn: Walk for Water, 1909 Queen Anne Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003.
