NORWICH – For the past few weeks the Holy Family School in Norwich has been doing something truly special. They have been collecting money and donating it to the Water For South Sudan Organization’s ‘Iron Giraffe Challenge,’ an organization that drills for water in the remote regions of South Sudan.

The project was spearheaded by the seventh grade ELA class, taught by Elaine Genute.

Earlier in the school year the students read the book A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park. The novel is based on one young man’s incredible true story of perseverance. Salva Dut was 11 years old when war broke out in Sudan and was forced to flee for his life. Dut and many others walked acrosss the continent to the country of Ethiopia. There, Dut spent almost six years of his life living in a refugee camp with the other “Lost Boys of Sudan.” After spending his time there, Dut was chosen as one of the few who were to be relocated to the United States. While living in Rochester, Dut found out that some of his family were still alive in Sudan. Dut then traveled back to his homeland where he founded the Water For South Sudan Organization and created the Iron Giraffe Challenge.