Kids can change the world! It is a message Lifewater shares with impoverished communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America - and it is a message kids everywhere are teaching us. Lifewater kids in North America are raising awareness and funds for safe water through WaterWalks, at Lemonade-for-Water roadside stands, by wearing Lifewater tshirts, sharing with classmates through school presentations, and by giving of their own time and resources in many other creative ways.

In addition to raising money for Lifewater, nine-year-old Cori Southward shared his story with us. Thanks, Cori, for doing your part to change our world!

A Kid Can Make a Difference! by Cori Southward

My name is Cori Southward, and I am nine years old in the third grade in Paso Robles, California. About three years ago I heard that Lifewater International goes to countries where people don't have clean water to drink and then they dig water wells for them. At Highlands, my church, the pastor said they were giving 10 percent of their money to Lifewater International. So I decided I should also give 10 percent of my money away. I get money for different things like allowance, Christmas, birthdays, the Tooth Fairy, and hitting my accelerated reading goals. 

Now, every time I get money, I divide it up into Short Term Savings (the money I get to spend on toys and stuff), Long Term Savings, Education, Investments, and 10 percent for Tithing. I have done different things with my tithing money. I have given it to the homeless people standing on the corner. I have given it to friends who needed it, and I have used it to buy ingredients for chocolate chip cookies for new neighbors.

At Christmastime last year, I took my tithing to church to give it away, and I heard that for every $35 given to Lifewater International, a person in a Third World country can have clean drinking water for the rest of their lives. I decided to give my tithing to the Lifewater people who had a table set up at our church that day.

Recently, I was trying to figure out what to give up for Lent so we could give the money we would have spent to Lifewater's Significant Sacrifice instead. Me and my dad go to the movies almost every weekend, and I know we spend about $25 every time we go. So I gave up going to the movies. There are six weekends during Lent, so we gave $150 for Significant Sacrifice and another $25 from tithing, so five people will have clean drinking water for the rest of their lives. I hope these people share with a lot of other people.

I feel great about giving up movies so other people can have what I have had my whole life.