Imagine getting home after school only to realize you have gone all day without drinking anything, so you go to get a glass of water from the sink, only to find that your water is no longer working; in fact, there is none available for miles. Not only are you thirsty, but you can’t take a shower, flush the toilet, nor brush your teeth.

In Swaziland in southern Africa, a little under half the population, 650,000 people don’t have access to clean water and have to travel miles only to have to wait to get more. Many have to walk up to five miles carrying buckets and jugs for clean water. Not only is the labor exhausting, but the amount of death is devastating, because a child dies every 21 seconds due to a water-related disease, and the main people that are traveling back and forth for the water are women and children. As a result, the children can’t even get an education for they are too busy working to survive.

This year, instead of Bowling for Babies, Key Club presents to you Strikes for Swaziland, an effort to help raise money in order to build a well for accessible clean water for the people of Swaziland. Key Club officer, Rachel Zhang, puts the importance of supporting this cause in simple words; “Something as basic as clean water and sanitation is something that needs to be put first on a list of things to do.” Supporting Strikes for Swaziland is just another step towards aiding people in getting clean water and sanitation, so go ahead and grab four or five of your friends and come over to Colonial Lanes, which is located on the NW side of Rochester. It will be from 4:00 until 6:00 pm on March 14th, and it is only $12 per person.

Pick up a form from Ms. Gaul, whose room is located upstairs by door 2, by March 13th to guarantee you and your group a lane. Every dollar counts.