CRF stands for Christian Relief Fund. It’s an organization that drills wells in Africa and spreads the Christian message. This weekend I attended an event called the “CRF experience” created from the ground up by junior Emma Cunningham. We learned about third world hunger and the living conditions that most people in Africa, Haiti, India and Honduras are used too.

By doing a water walk around neighborhood, we collected close to $500. As we split up in groups, one person had to carry a gallon of water to see how demanding and physically draining it is to carry heavy amounts of water for a long period of time. Needless to say, the women who live in these countries are extremely tough. We carried half the amount of water than they are accustomed to and walked for only an hour. These women travel around three miles a day to get water for their families. I couldn’t even imagine doing that every single day.

Just to get a glimpse of how bland food options are in third world countries in comparison to the endless supply of food available in the United States, we had Ugali and Sukuma Wiki. These meals are a staple in these countries found in various market places. For breakfast, we had porridge, which resembled oatmeal but tasted like grits. After we added sugar and cinnamon it made it much more sweeter and gave it more taste, but was nothing like the usual breakfast we traditionally have.

The kids in Africa love soccer, but they rarely can afford a soccer ball. Instead, kids make their own soccer balls out of trash bags and twine. To see how difficult it is to make and play with one of these, we made one ourselves. The effect was very different and did not uphold its shape for a very long, but to the kids in these countries it’s the most fun they’ve ever had.

I enjoyed this experience immensely and it made me really think about everything we have and everything we take for granted. Life in third world countries in comparison to life in the U.S. is so drastically different, and people need to know how much they can contribute to the basic needs of humans like them. I would highly recommend attending this event next year to see for themselves the heartbreaking tragedy of life in a third world country.