Speaking from the Heart

Hi. My name is Kelly Forsha. I am 12 years old and in 6th grade. I attend elementary school in the Conestoga Valley School District located in Lancaster County, PA. I attend church at LCBC, "Lives Changed by Christ", a non-denominational Christian church. I participated in an event over a year ago in which we raised money to build water wells in Tseikuru, Kenya, South Africa. It was during this project that I was shocked to learn that people had to walk for miles just to get fresh drinking water. It made me angry when I heard stories about people not having fresh water.

My mom said, "When we don't know anything, we can cry ignorance, but once we know, we should do something about it. If it makes you angry, do something." So, my parents and I came up with the idea of selling pencils and calling it Pencils against Poverty. Who can't use a pencil, right? They encouraged me to write my vision and mission statement.

Mission and Vision

Mission: To build deep water wells to ensure that all people have access to fresh clean water, to enhance their quality of life.

I still didn't know where I wanted to build a well, but while we were putting this project together, a major earthquake shook Haiti. I learned that Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world and that less than 1/3 of Haitians have access to fresh water, so I chose Haiti as the location of my first well. I didn't want to give temporary water in the form of bottles (although that is also needed), but to provide a lifetime of fresh drinking water for generations to come.

I believe that kids, such as me, can change the world, but to help make our dreams a reality, we also need adults to give us a voice. Many adults have come forward to support this project and I am extremely thankful to them. Without their guidance and support, none of this would be possible.