Samo students start organization to purify water in Madagascar

Samo students Kian Zohoury ('15), Nikan Namiri ('15) and Joseph Staraci ('15) are fundraising money for H2OPERATION, a cause that aims to purify water in Madagascar, as part of their newly founded club, the CareDrop charity.Zohoury, the club's president, says that it will take a lot of hard work, but he hopes that fellow classmates will be willing to help the club achieve its goals.“I hope to build a community of students that can come together and hopefully prove that change is not impossible," Zohoury said. "I wholeheartedly believe that we the students can set our minds together and accomplish even the most ambitious tasks. [At] the same time, we can better the lives of underprivileged students who truly need our help." According to Namiri, H2OPERATION aims to raise approximately $1,500 to purchase five Jerry Cans, which are containers that can purify and sterilize up to 25,000 liters of water and can potentially support a family of four for three years. Namiri said that the Jerry Cans also function as a shower with the simple attachment of a nozzle.“I want to give back to people who don't have it like I do," Zohoury said.Namiri said that Zohoury saw a segment on TEDx showcasing the Jerry Can and it spurred their interest in starting an organization. The first steps they had to take were creating the charity website and applying for a copyright, which they successfully received.The charity intends on focusing on the cities of Toliara or Antananarivo because of their high rates of poverty, according to Zohoury.“Because there are so many impoverished Third World countries, it was hard picking a single one to support," Zohoury said. "From the beginning, we knew we were going to help children in Africa. We finally chose Madagascar, because it is one of the safest countries to communicate [with] and send supplies to."Zohoury, Namiri and Staraci have been promoting their charity through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as through the charity's website. Currently, iPad raffles are funding H2OPERATION, according to Zohoury.“We have a set goal to reach, and anyone who can help us move forward is welcome to our club,” Zohoury saidZohoury said that the club is trying to establish contact with other non-profit organizations that work with low-income public schools, in hopes that they will potentially help with the shipment of the club's cans. According to Zohoury, they will have a safe aero-route by next month."[Zohoury] is going to be a great leader," English teacher Ruth Magnuson said. "He has talked to the makers of the Jerry Can and is currently trying contact [other organizations] in Madagascar to which he will ship the cans. He is very enthusiastic to begin fundraising."For more information on the club, visit http://www.caredrop.org.bgonzalez@thesamohi.com