Picture This: A small rural town called Kinshasa located in the Congo in Africa; Consisting of warm weather, lucious plants, green grass, hills; sounds like the perfect city, right? Well, there is one thing missing from the city, a “thing” that a human can’t go even 3 days without, Water.

One can see that geographically, Kinshasa has ample water sources, including the Congo River and Lubala River. However, just because the water is around the location, it does not make it a drinkable water source. Both rivers are contaminated with pollution from mining and over 300 dead species of fish causing extreme sickness for the population.

Recognizing the treacherous life for the Kinshasa people,the Parish of Etinne has taken matters into their own hands to set up water pumps and filtration systems for the Kinshasa people.

The Church claims how they are “willing to sacrifice everything from time to money to serve others like Jesus did.” It is remarkable how the urgency for helping others was prioritized throughout the Parish.

Pablo, the manager of the project, made it his goal to learn the area before beginning his mission. The townspeople of Kinshasa describe how Pablo knows the entire area of the Kinshasa community.

The parish of Erienne first examined the town’s current system and found that because of the location of the system, many power outages are caused throughout the town. The current system involves a building housing water tanks that pump water through underground pipes to 22 fountains located around the town.

The water in this fountains lack sanitation and ultimately hurt the bodies of the townspeople. However, in an attempt to live, the people of Kinshasa are forced to pay 50 Euros for just 25 liters of water. This water has to be walked miles, oftentimes by women and children by a simple, yellow bucket.

The parish’s main goal of the Water Project is to provide the townspeople with the same opportunities that many other countries are fortunate enough to have. When looking at the continent of Africa as a whole, one can see how only 71%t of the population has access to clean water compared to 95% of Americans that have access to clean water.

In a desperate attempt to help these people, the Parish of Erienne is waiting for enough donations to fund their plan to redo the water system of Kinshasa.

The service of the Parish can be described as nothing short of admirable. In fact, one can use the generosity granted by the parish as an example of how we can serve others in our daily lives.

Not only is service self-fulfilling, but it is described by the Catholic Church as “Meeting one’s moral responsibility requested by God.”

For Cathedral Students, there are various ways to get involved on campus including: Service Clubs, Youth Group, ASB, Food drives put on by Mission and Ministry, Ambassadors, CSF, Options program, NHS and more; there are always ways for students to get involved in service opportunities in the CCHS Community.

After taking a deeper look into the Ambassador Program in the CCHS Campus, an interview was conducted with Ambassador Gienne DeLuna 25’ regarding her experience being an Ambassador for Christ Corps. DeLuna claims how, “To me, being an ambassador means having the opportunity to show off our amazing CCHS Campus and its curriculum with future Dons and giving them insight about the Cathedral Catholic Family.”

Being an ambassador gives one the opportunity to conduct themselves in a mature way that emphasizes the amazing students that Cathedral produces.

The parish of Etienne illustrates that their mission is to “Honor, serve and care for people close to their community.” By doing this, it results in a positive impact on both the organization and the people that they are assisting.

When asked how it felt to serve others through the ambassador program, DeLuna claimed how “Through the Ambassador Program, it feels very rewarding because I get to serve the school and teach potential Dons about why they should come to this wonderful school.”

With Ambassador applications open throughout the month of February, anyone can put in an application found on their grades Schoology page.

To wrap up the interview, DeLuna was asked how much she recommended the Ambassador Program, and she responded saying how, “I would highly recommend the ambassador program for individuals who are looking to talk about their experiences here at Cathedral and for people who love to serve in the community. Personally, I feel like the Ambassadors Program is definitely a commitment because you are expected to donate your time volunteering at events for the school and incoming Dons, however it is rewarding because of the experience I gain and people that I meet.

With Ambassadors being only one way to get involved on campus, there are many ways to get involved. One can be inspired by the Parish of Etienne’s mission to improve the water quality and the reward they feel through service. If possible, spread the word of the Parish’s mission to hopefully reach enough donations to complete their mission. Remember, service is most rewarding when doing something that you love.