In just three months, 4-year-old Heather helped raise more than $1,000 to build a well.

UNITED STATES – Like most four-year-olds, Heather usually watches cartoons. But before her mom could switch the channel, another show caught Heather’s attention.

“There was a video on there about an older lady and her grandchildren, and it began to talk about how there was no clean water in their village,” said her mother.

Heather was surprised to learn that some people don’t have clean water to drink and that many have to walk for miles to get clean water.

She felt sorry for the family and wanted to help. So, she told her mom she wanted to sponsor a well.

“I wanted to build a well, so the people could get clean water, so they didn’t have to miss school or work,” Heather said.

Thanks to donations like Heather's, villages like this one are now benefiting from clean water.

Her parents said they’d match any money Heather wanted to give. But she soon discovered that the $25 they came up with wasn’t quite enough.

“I said, okay, Heather, we’re going to send our $25 in, but is that enough to build a well?” said her mother. “It takes a lot … it takes more than $1,000 to build a well. And she said, ‘Well, I want to build a whole well.’ ”

So the Bailey family decided to do some fundraising.

“Mommy and Daddy helped me, and Daddy squeezed some lemons with me, so we could make the lemonade, and then we sold it,” Heather said. “I really had a lot of fun, I was like, okay, do you want some lemonade?”

Heather also sold cupcakes and some of her own artwork. In three months, they raised enough to drill a well.

“I raised $1,070. It really made me happy to give other people a well,” Heather said.

“I really enjoy giving, and I hope that that’s what we can instill in Heather through this process,” added her father.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Help break the cycle of suffering by giving toward Operation Blessing's water wells and cisterns program. A gift of $1,800 can drill a well for villages and supply families with clean drinking water.

 

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