School for Africa

29 School for Africa This year, we were learning about Africa in our social studies class. Our teacher told us that nearly half the children in Africa live in poverty. They do n't have enough to eat. Some days, they have nothing to eat at all. They live in mud houses and sleep on the floor. But the worst thing of all is that most villages don't have a school. As our teacher spoke, I thought about all the things I took for granted in my own life-my MP3 player, a refrigerator filled to the brim with good food, spending money when- ever I want to. There is no way to compare my life to that of a poor African child. My biggest worry is what I will do on the weekend. Her biggest worry is whether she will have anything to eat today. Our teacher told us that our class could “ adopt" a village in Africa. All we needed to do was raise some money. With only $250, we could help build a school.

Our teacher asked for a volunteer to lead a fundraising drive. I raised my hand right away. I don't know why, but the picture of the African boys and girls that the teacher showed us had something to do with it. For the next two months, my friends and I worked really hard. We each went through our rooms and chose something that we could sell at a school sale. We held car washes on Saturdays. Some of us even donated our weekly allowance to the fund. Soon enough, we raised $250. Our teacher helped us send it to the African School Program. One day, a letter arrived. Our teacher read it aloud to us. A young boy from the village wrote, " Yesterday, we had no hope. Today, we can go to school just like kids all over the world. We will think of you often as we take our lessons in this wonderful new school. Thank you, from your friends in Africa! "