BREWSTER – Dozens of Brewster High School students spent a position of their school day walking the high school track symbolizing what young people in South Sudan do twice daily to obtain fresh water. 

The teenagers are changing the world since for the ninth year they participated in We Walk for Water, the culmination of a fundraiser in which they have raised more than $10,000 this year and $52,000 since 2017 for eight wells in South Sudan located in the poverty-stricken African nation. 

Their engagement grew from the books they read in English class: “Running for My Life,” “They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky,” and “A Long Walk to Water.”

“Books can lead you all over the world, including places where things are inequitable. Empathy for a book’s character can lead to engagement,” said organizer and English teacher Jessica Juska, who told her students, “It is a pleasure to take you on a journey through reading and books. I am proud of you for the work you have done. Books can lead you all over the world, including places where things are inequitable, and can lead to engagement.”

Students heard from speaker Sheetal Panday, director of Communications for Water for South Sudan, who explained the impact direct access to clear water has on communities–health, education, economic opportunities, and overall well-being.

Wearing sneakers and ‘We Walk for Water’ t-shirts, students and staff went out to the track to start their walk. By the end of the walk, some students had walked up to 15 miles.