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Last year, Carroll School of Management sophomore Kimmi Vo took the trip of a lifetime, a visit to World Youth Day in Madrid that included a pre-festival seven-day hike that traced the footsteps of St. Ignatius from Loyola to Javier.
The desert-like terrain and heat she encountered on the journey, with water intake limited to three times a day, forced Vo to experience something she didn’t bargain for: thirst and need.
“For the first time in my life, I knew what it meant to be thirsty. I experienced what it meant to be thirsty and not be in control about when I would have access to water,” said Vo. “I wasn’t prepared for how deeply or profoundly that experience would affect me.
“When I got home, I couldn’t shake that experience. My family would say, ‘We get it. You were thirsty, but so what? What are you going to do about it?’”
Answering that question has become Vo’s cause célèbre. Vo and a group of friends from CSOM founded the Boston College branch of charity: water, an international nonprofit whose mission is to bring safe, clean drinking water to people in need. According to the organization’s website, one in eight people in the world does not have access to safe drinking water.
Boston College charity: water seeks to raise $20,000 by the end of the month, and has already surpassed the $5,000 mark. In doing so, the group helped provide water for 276 people in developing countries around the world.
“I think I was drawn to this organization in particular because of the transparency in where the money goes — 100 percent of all money raised is used to fund water projects,” said Vo. “The more I learned about the water crisis and the extent of this problem, the more I realized I had to do something to help.”
In the first five years of its existence, charity: water has completed more than 6,000 projects – which include building wells in villages, clinics and schools, and constructing sanitation facilities – aiding 2.5 million people worldwide.
The Boston College group has also grown considerably in a short period of time, using campaigns and social media to get the word out. Partnerships with student groups – dance, cultural, athletic and student government – as well as guidance from CSOM Dean Andy Boynton and Campus Ministry have propelled Boston College charity: water, Vo said.
“With the focus on social justice and equality at Boston College, I think this cause and our campaign can cut across all the various groups and organizations,” said Vo. “It is such a simple idea: helping those who do not have access to water.”
Faculty and staff are also getting involved through the charity: water Penny Pledge, which asks contributors to donate one penny for each dollar raised. If the $20,000 goal is reached, those individuals would kick in an additional $200 apiece. Ten professors have signed the pledge so far.
“I’ve learned through this that anyone can make a difference,” said Vo. “And a huge part of charity: water is to raise awareness about consumption and access. The educational aspect is equally important, so if we start conversations about the water crisis, then I feel like we’re making a difference.”
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