Paper for Water

May 3, 2016 9:47 AM

Katherine and Isabelle Adams are 9 and 11 years old. When they learned that girls in many places have to walk for miles to get to the nearest well (and clean drinking water), they decided they wanted to help. They started selling their origami ornaments to fund a single well in Ethiopia. When they overshot their goal, they just kept going.

Here's an interview with the two girls.

posted by colfax (4 comments total)

There are some things about this that bother me: the phrase "mission-driven kid," which seems to blithely imply something anxiously hostile to the idea of childhood itself; or the sentiment that "The girls fly around the world, meet inspiring people, and see firsthand how many lives they're saving," which suggests that maybe some very wrong or confusing lessons are being learned here.

However, people need access to clean water, so the extent that these girls are helping that to happen and learning about the world first-hand, I think that's wonderful. This, in particular, seems like a really crucial lesson, and one I hope the girls are getting:

"We've been to a number of third-world countries," Ken [their father] says, "and it was just shocking to see here in the United States we have similar environments."

This is important for American kids to know.
posted by clockzero at 10:03 AM on May 3, 2016 [3 favorites]

I'm ready to start my own well company!
posted by honey badger at 10:16 AM on May 3, 2016

I like this. Thanks for sharing.
posted by delight at 10:18 AM on May 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

clockzero's comment reminds me of this going around right now. SaviourBarbie
posted by infini at 10:26 AM on May 3, 2016 [2 favorites]