CLEARWATER, Fla. – The orphans in a tiny town in Tanzania left the biggest impression on Sarah Williams.
They were so cute and kind and happy.
And curious.
The children were fascinated with Sarah’s long hair. It’s something rarely seen in that part of the world, where water is so scarce the locals shave their heads so as not to waste the precious resource on something as ordinary as washing their hair.
Sarah let the kids run their fingers through her locks. She showed them how to make a ponytail and how to braid it.
“They were so happy,” Sarah said. “They don’t have much, but they have each other. All they wanted was to hold our hands and play with us.”
Sarah, five of her classmates from Clearwater Central Catholic High School (CCC) and two chaperones from the school spent 10 days last June in Tanzania as representatives of Water 4 Mercy, a nonprofit that provides water and food and hope to remote villages in Africa.
Water 4 Mercy was started in 2018 by Nermine Khouzam Rubin, whose daughter, Samantha, is a graduate of CCC.
Sarah is a junior who attends the private Catholic school on a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO). The scholarship is managed by Step Up For Students.
She is a member of CCC’s Water 4 Mercy service chapter, the largest service chapter in the school. It began in 2021 and has raised $36,000 through fundraisers. This was the first time CCC students traveled to Africa.
“It’s life-changing,” said Beth Lani, CCC’s director of advancement and moderator of the school’s Water 4 Mercy chapter.
The 16-page itinerary that Sarah and her classmates received said it would be a “fun and meaningful journey” and a “life changing adventure.”
It was for Sarah and for Corey Vohra, a senior who also made the trip.
They visited schools, an orphanage and convent, and several rural villages. They also attended Mass in Swahili and went on a safari.
“I went there with an open mind,” Corey said. “I wanted to see where the journey would take us.”
They met villagers barely scraping by without one of life’s biggest necessities – clean water – yet were also some of the happiest people they’ve ever met.
They saw smiling faces everywhere they went. Children lined up and waved when the traveling party drove by.
“It showed me a different perspective on my life,” Corey said. “I feel like coming out of that trip, I’m very grateful for everything I have and all the privileges I have in life.”
When Sarah returned home, she researched the type of social work needed in countries like Tanzania.
“It impacted me so much I want to do something about it,” she said. “I’m looking at majors for college, and I’d like to major in social work so I can go back and work with the orphanage.”
Sarah plans to attend the University of Tampa, where she can continue to play volleyball and major in social work.
“Before this trip I wanted to major in interior design,” she said, “so this is something totally different. I love being around children. I babysit for a ton of different families. I always had a connection with children, so I think this is something that I want to stick with.”
Corey, who also attends CCC on an FES-EO scholarship, plans to attend college in south Florida and major in international affairs.
“This trip helped me figure out what I want to do,” he said. “Maybe I can be part of the United Nations and do something to help make a difference there.”
The trip included visits to places like Mabalangu Village, a community of 2,200 that recently gained access to clean water for the first time thanks in part to the efforts of CCC’s Water 4 Mercy service chapter.
And to villages that are in the process of gaining access to clean water. It was those visits that left a lasting impact. The students watched villagers gather water from muddy water holes also used by animals. You can imagine what is mixed in with the mud.
“It was crazy,” Corey said. “And then you come home, and you can take like 10 steps and get water from your fridge.”
The villages consist mostly of women and children, because the men travel to other parts of the country for work. Those women and children carry the water back to their homes in containers they balance on their heads.
“I saw a big difference between the village with no water and the village with water,” Sarah said. “Everybody was happier. They looked cleaner.”
Lani was one of the chaperones. This was her second trip to Tanzania with Water 4 Mercy. Seeing the impact the school is making in Tanzania was “very inspiring,” she said.
She graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in anthropology and said she would have jumped at the chance to go on a trip like this at that time had one been available.
“I know these kids, they’re bright kids, and I figured maybe it wouldn’t pivot their career choice, but maybe give them a different perspective, and it might color what they do in the future,” she said. “But to hear them say it actually is guiding their career choice, at least at this point in their lives, is wonderful. I’m thankful that I could share that opportunity with them.”
