CAMP HILL, Pa.-- Imagine your child going to school and having no running water or even a safe roof over their head. That is the reality facing children in the town in Panguma in the African country of Sierra Leone.
"At the high school in Panguma [they're] learning under thatched roofs and palm branch structure that were not adequate during the rainy season," Camp Hill United Methodist Church Youth Director Drew Robeson said.
The church has a partnership with the town to help it grow. The youth group has been raising funds to build a new school. For four years they have done a program called Hungry for Hope. They youth fast for 30 hours and sleep on gym floors to see what it's like to feel homeless.
"We literally understand for just a glimpse or a little bit what it's like to hungry or homeless," Robeson said.
The youth collect donations in addition to the fasting. They have raised more than $60,000 to date and that number is expected to be around $80,000 by the end of the year.
That money all went to the building of the school, which was dedicated in November.
"Panguma would be considered a rural community, and now we are seeing student want to travel an hour away to be apart of this school," Robeson said.
If you would like more information or would like to donate to help the cause, visit their website.