A Long Walk To Water

Published: November 1, 2013 | Last Modified: November 1, 2013 09:50AMBy LESLIE ROVETTI Sun Staff Writer

WESTERLY — Alexis Paul, 10, enjoys fairy tales and fantasy books, so she wasn’t all that thrilled when she was assigned to read “A Long Walk to Water.” Based on the harrowing true tale of a refugee, a so-called lost boy of Sudan, the book describes life in the poverty-stricken, war-torn country of South Sudan.

“It wasn’t my type of book,” said Alexis, a fifth-grader at Westerly Middle School.

The book, published in 2010, was part of the school’s One Book, One School summer reading program, according to Principal Paula Fusco.

But Alexis was captivated by the narrative of Salva Dut, a young refugee who survived his ordeal and founded the New York-based charity Water for South Sudan, and the parallel tale of the fictional Nya, who fetches water twice a day from a source two hours away. Reading in her comfortable home in a peaceful neighborhood, Alexis was moved by the devastation in the book.

“I said, I have to help,” she recalled. “I can’t let these people keep dying.”

Alexis decided to raise money for Water for South Sudan, which drills wells in remote villages, bringing clean, safe water to thousands. According to its website, the organization has drilled 177 bore-hole wells in South Sudan as of May 2013.

First, she spoke to her family about the water crisis in South Sudan, and raised $158. But she wasn’t done yet. She contacted her church next, and spoke before the Mission Committee at Dunns Corners Community Presbyterian Church. It was the first time she had ever given a talk in front of a group. “It was kind of nerve-wracking at first,” she said.

But she was “fantastic,” according to the church’s senior pastor, the Rev. James R. Glenn III. “She was well prepared, she had all of her facts, and was able to answer questions,” he said.

Once she received the go-ahead from the Mission Committee, Alexis spoke in front of the entire church at two Sunday services. “I was kind of scared,” she said, but Glenn said her sweetness and enthusiasm shone through. “If she was nervous, it didn’t show,” he said.

And the members of her church responded. Alexis decided to collect the donations throughout October, and had gathered over $600 for Water for South Sudan midway through the month, surpassing her $500 goal. By the end of October, she had more than $700 and two buckets of change that have yet to be counted. All of the money collected, from pennies to big checks, will be consolidated into one check for her to send to the organization.

When she sends in that final check, “I will be very happy that I get to help these people,” she said. “These people have to struggle every day, and they’re dying.”

Alexis has seen poverty before, said her mother, Samantha. When the family travels to Brazil to see Samantha’s family, including Alexis’ vovo, or grandma, Alexis has seen people in need, Samantha said. And as a family, with parents Jim and Samantha and her brother, Jack, who’s almost 5, the Pauls have participated in fundraisers like the Jonnycake Center’s recent costume bowling party, and buying Christmas gifts for children.

Alexis wants to be a teacher when she grows up, Samanatha said, because she believes it will allow her to help more people.

And in the meantime, she’s helping the people of South Sudan, who are now closer to having another $20,000 well, thanks to Alexis, who no longer takes her own tap water for granted and wants to improve the life of the South Sudanese.

“They have to struggle through so many days and nights just to get a little jug of water,” she said.

To contribute to Alexis’ effort, make a check payable to “Water for South Sudan” and send it to Dunns Corners Community Church, 221 Post Road, Westerly, RI, 02891.

lrovetti@thewesterlysun.com