Samburu Projects holds annual Walk for Water

By Emily Koncki

Staff Writer

The Samburu Project held its 7th annual Walk for Water on April 17 on the Hermosa and Manhattan Beach strand.

The 4-mile walk brought people from all around the South Bay together to raise awareness and money for the cause, and it raised $43,000, with donations still coming in. A total of 90 Mira Costa students participated in the event.

“The Walk for Water and the work we do at the Samburu Project has affected me deeply,” the Samburu Project’s executive director Linda Hooper said. “Knowing we are able to deliver clean water to those in need, and change people’s lives forever is beyond imagination. Being a force for good in the world is a fantastic feeling, one I am so lucky to share with the Mira Costa students and all our TSP supporters.”

A Samburu Project representative visited Mira Costa classes in March to spread awareness about the non-profit organization and the work they do to support it. The Samburu Project’s project coordinator Kiki Swanson talked to Costa Model United Nations classes about the organization.

“I attended the walk in previous years and in middle school,” Sophomore, Liam Cook said. “I was inspired to start a club dedicated to the Samburu Project when a representative came into my 0 period class and discussed the general idea of what their nonprofit organization does.”

Cook is creating a club at Costa called Tribe that will gather donations and raise awareness about the Samburu Project and it’s impact. The members of the club will be able to see how their hard work is being used and how many people they are helping in the process, Cook said.

“The main purpose of the club is to help the Samburu Project in anyway possible,” Cook said. “This year we worked to spread awareness and posted fliers around the city. Next year, we will be a key part of the Walk for Water and also we may branch out to other local organizations as well.”

Students like Cook and sophomore Alyssa Castronuovo have dedicated hours of their personal free time to help the non-profit organization by hanging fliers and selling baked goods in order to fundraise for the cause.

“We had 250 walkers in Hermosa Beach and another 100 at our other locations including San Francisco and Detroit,” Hooper said. “Out of the 90 Mira Costa students, most of whom were in the model UN class. We have been working with Costa’s UN students for the past 5 or 6 years.”