An international charitable organization is hoping SIU might help with the underprivileged in Kenya. 

The Clean Water Mission is a nonprofit organization and collects used shoes and purses to sell to shipping companies for reuse by Kenyans. The fundraiser begins Friday and runs until April 26.

Posters and collection boxes will be placed in the Student Center and various locations on campus for anyone wishing to donate.

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Funds collected from the sale of the shoes and purses will be used to build water wells in Kenya for access to clean, safe water.

Clean Water Mission’s goal is to bring clean water to third-world countries. Vic Hamer, a spokesperson for the organization, said students interested in sustainability, culture, water resources, ecology and environmental issues should consider participating.

Hamer, who visited some of the villages Clean Water Mission has aided, said he targeted the SIU campus because of their heightened awareness regarding world issues.

“In my experience, a lot of times college students are very aware in what is going on in the world and they are trying to be active in some of these events,” he said. “They are also aware third-world countries are not as fortunate as we are in the United States, and a lot of these people in third-world countries don’t have shoes or access to clean water.”

Hamer said students could give away their old shoes and bags they would otherwise throw away.

“When you think about how many blessings you have, if you have a worn pair of shoes that would end up filling up some landfill somewhere, when thrown away, wouldn’t you rather give a pair of shoes to someone who doesn’t have any?” he said.

By participating in the fundraiser, Hamer said students will have the ability to make life a little easier for those who are not as fortunate as those who live in a developed country.

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For more information about Clean Water Mission or the fundraiser, contact Vic Hamer at [email protected].

Elizabeth can be reached at [email protected], on twitter at @ElizabethZ_DE, or at 536-3311 ext. 256.