Durham District School Board (DDSB) students raise their voices for water scarcity
On May 3, approximately 500 students from 25 schools gathered at Ajax Waterfront Park to create awareness about water scarcity, locally and globally. With water-filled buckets in hand, they walked in solidarity with the young women in countries like Kenya who spend countless hours each day bringing water back to their homes, unable to go to school and unable to work, continuing the harsh cycle of poverty. In addition to awareness, the walk also raised money for Me to We’s initiatives to bring clean water to communities around the world.
Anastasia Hall is a Grade 11 student at Ajax High School and she was the emcee for the We Walk for Water event. She is also a member of the Ajax HS Me to We Club, which brought the fundraising and awareness campaign to DDSB last year. Building on the club’s previous success, this year’s event was bigger and better with all DDSB schools invited to participate.
“We wanted to raise awareness of water scarcity around the world, not only in third-world countries, but right here in Canada,” says Hall. “There are currently 58 long-term do not drink/do not use water advisories in Canada, many affecting our Indigenous communities.”
Equity and the Right to Clean Water
The walk was the culmination of a year’s worth of education and awareness. Student leaders visited participating schools to inform classes about the water crisis around the world and to create awareness of the local issues affecting our Indigenous communities. Partners such as Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the Region of Durham and Me to We were also involved in helping students work toward a better future.
Dr. Robert Thornton Public School Grade 5 students Danny and Harliegh were guest speakers at the event and stressed the importance of education and awareness. “We had no idea until this year that there are water issues right here in Durham Region on some of our First Nations reserves,” says Harliegh. “Danny and I do not understand how we can have access to clean running water and children just north of us on Scugog Island have to boil their water before drinking or cooking with it. This doesn’t make any sense at all. I thought we all had the same right to clean drinking water.”
Danny agreed, adding, “Water is a huge issue, both globally and locally and as a society, we have to ensure all humans have the right to clean drinking water. We all need to do our part to stand up, speak up, and act.”
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