With World Clean Water Day only 11 days away, members of the Madison Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. are doing their part to provide clean water for those in need via a 22-day fundraising campaign in partnership with FaceAfrica.
The proceeds of which will be used to provide access to clean water for those living in Liberia.
The campaign began on March 1st and continues until March 22nd, World Clean Water Day.
As a Black women sorority, members of Delta Sigma Theta are constantly trying to answer the question, “how do we impact and support women and girls” via their programming, said Delta Sigma Theta’s Chair of the international awareness and involvement committee, Chioma Amegashie.
“We’re a Black woman sorority, all about empowering and lifting women and girls and we really wanted to partner with a Black-woman-led, clean water organization. That was really important in terms of the partnership,” Amegashie said.
“This project kind of hit all the bells in terms of a service project for us to undertake during this pandemic and really call attention to World Water Day this year” she continued. “I think it’s especially important.”
According to FaceAfrica, 350 million people in Africa are affected by lack of accessibility to a clean and safe source of water with some African women spending on average 60 percent of their days collecting water, resulting in diminished school attendance.
Further, the lack of clean water means there exists inadequate sanitary facilities in schools, “resulting in absenteeism 10-20 percent among girls who have reached puberty”, according to FaceAfrica.
“Nothing is more meaningful than to be able to impact women and girls, and help keep girls in school,” Amegashie added.
Originally from Liberia, Amegashie expressed her passion for this project not only as a member of the sorority, but as an individual.
“It’s very meaningful to me to be able to impact women and girls in Liberia, coming from there and being gone for so long and (having) done projects with other groups … this is the first time I’ve been able to do one with my sorority sisters, which is so meaningful,” Amegashie explained.
Many of the programs organized by the sorority fall under the organization’s Five-Point Programmatic Thrusts: educational development; economic development; international awareness and involvement; physical and mental health; and political awareness and involvement.
“International awareness and involvement is one of our you know, one of our focuses as an organization,” Amegashie said. “Really thinking about the COVID pandemic, what’s going on, having access to water is obviously so important and vital in terms of health.”
The suggested donation is $22 in honor of Delta Sigma Theta’s 22 founders as well as a nod to the date of World Clean Water Day, March 22, 2021.
Those who wish to donate can do so by clicking the “Tickets” button here, on the Eventbrite page for the fundraiser.
