5.22.22 Swimming for South Sudan Swimathon Results:

We were inspired to act after reading "A Long Walk to Water" and we are so excited that Imagine Bilingual in Boone, NC feels the same way. We are working together to bring awareness to the fact that so many in our world still do not have access to safe drinking water. As a result, we are hoping to raise $15,000 for a full well sponsorship in South Sudan and plan to swim a collective 1,350 pool laps along the way. 

This is from our fundraising page: 

We are a group of 8-12 year olds (and their adult supporters) in Boone, NC who believe that clean drinking water should be accessible and available to everyone. Did you know that in developing countries, women and children walk an average of 3.7 miles for drinking water (and often times, the water is in polluted rivers and ponds)? In Sudan, girls and women often walk eight hours a day for the same reason.

Swimming for South Sudan is a collaboration that started when students from different places in Watauga county read "A Long Walk to Water", a book that parallels two different stories: that of an 11 year old girl who walks 16 miles a day just so that her family has enough water to survive and the true story of Salva Dut. At age 11, Salva was separated from his family due to the Sudanese Civil War. His heartbreaking and inspiring story spanned years before he was finally able to connect to his father again, who was suffering immensely from a disease caused by waterborne parasites. Salva subsequently started the Water for South Sudan project in order to help bring clean and safe drinking water to South Sudan.   

The Swimathon was born when, through a very serendipitous event, the students of Imagine  Bilingual were connected with Ayla Crawley (10), of Givers of Hope. Both Imagine  Bilingual and the Givers of Hope had read Salva's story and were significantly impacted. They began to collaborate together with the hope of not only spreading community awareness about what our international friends are struggling with, but also to ACT.   

On May 22nd, 2021, Swimming for South Sudan will host a Swimathon at the Watauga County Rec Center. Our goal is to gather enough swimmers and sponsors to collectively swim 1,350 laps (one lap for each mile that a woman or girl walks in a year).  

Our ultimate goal is to raise $15,000! By doing this, we will be able to FULLY sponsor a new well being built in South Sudan. Please be a part of our team and overall mission as we work to ensure that everyone has access to healthy water.   Thank you so much!  For more information on the struggle of women and children regarding their walk to water, please visit: https://www.worldvision.org/clean-water-news-stories/walk-water-6k.   For more information about Water for South Sudan, please visit: https://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/