A walk on the Waverly Rail Trail Sunday, April 1, will benefit an organization that builds water wells in rural Ethiopia.

Wartburg College students in a Nonprofit Management class will host the three-mile walk, which will begin at 2 p.m. behind Kwik Star on East Bremer Avenue. A fee of $10 per person or $20 per family will be collected at the start of the walk. Rain location will be the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to Water to Thrive (W2T), a faith-based nonprofit organization that transforms lives through the gift of clean water. Wartburg students hope to raise enough funds to build two water wells in rural Ethiopia.

Wartburg College alumnus Ed Scharlau of Arlington, Texas, who has volunteered with W2T since its establishment, has encouraged several Iowa groups to get involved. Waverly-Shell Rock High School students, third graders at St. Paul’s Lutheran School, and area churches are also supporting W2T through fundraising efforts.

Only one in three people in rural Ethiopia has access to clean water, and more than half of the population suffers from waterborne disease. One out of 10 children dies before the age of five. On an average day, women and children walk up to five hours to collect water, which is frequently contaminated. Children often miss the opportunity for an education because they are collecting and carrying water.

Participants should register by March 30. Call Gail Sexton at the Wartburg Center for Community Engagement, 319-352-8699, or email wartburgw2t@gmail.com with name, address, phone number and email address.