Jackson Middle School students in the Junior Optimist Club raised $8,000 to purchase a well in Gulu, Uganda to provide a nearby, safe drinking water source for children and their families.

The students learned about the challenges facing children in third world countries, from their teacher, Kelly Riggs, who travels yearly to Africa. "The students saw photos of children in an internally displaced camp in my scrapbook," said Riggs. "We also read a wonderful book, Ryan and Jimmy and the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together. The students were moved into action upon learning of the desperate need for clean water in Uganda and other parts of the world."

Riggs traveled to Gulu for the official opening of the well, drank from it and met the families in the camp who benefited from the clean water. She also delivered school supplies to children at Laminto Primary School.

The Junior Optimist Club, made up of 20 students, coordinated several fundraisers last school year to fund the well purchase. The club coordinated Pocket Change a Life where they encouraged fellow students to give up soda for a two-week period, and they conducted a "Water Walk" to simulate what the children in Uganda do daily to get water. Typically, women and children have to walk up to ten miles for drinking water.

"The students are so proud to see the photos of the well," said Riggs. "They have learned that anyone can make a difference in this world." The Junior Optimist Club has plans to fundraise for purchasing another well in Africa.