Students in Mrs. Kitzman’s  7th grade social studies classes are in the process of designing a plan to eradicate the issue of unsafe and unclean drinking water in Africa’s communities.

After presenting their global projects to the class, Kylie Kutz, Ellie Chidley, Kylie Shaw, and Gretchen Bushman were selected as the Project Captains.  They were designated because of their strong work ethic and desire to make a change concerning this global issue.

As part of our effort to make a change, we are teaming up with Heifer International to provide Africa’s people a fair chance at the life they deserve.

Our Global Project 2012 is coming to its conclusion, but will surly continue next year. We have had a great experience with this project and hope it will be as successful in the following years. We’ve raised a grand total of $1674.00. A big thanks is owed to all of the people who helped us make a change: Immanuel Lutheran; Dezine and Scudders, who helped with our project T-Shirts; our own Builders Club, who helped with our school dance; all of the students who helped with the bake sale; as well as private donors. With the money we’ve raised we plan to buy from Heifer International the following animals to send to Africa: heifer, goat, pig, sheep, flock of chicks, tree seedlings. Also, a large sum of our profit will be donated to the Dixon Food Pantry to help locally. Again, we’d like to thank everyone who helped us get where we are today, showing that anyone can make a change. Our gratitude to those is never ending.

The University of Illinois College of Education newsletter has recognized the Globalization Project in Mrs. Kitzman's Challenge social studies class.

"Tracy Kitzman, a Global Studies in Education Online graduate, recently implemented her capstone project from the program, a paper she authored for EPS 590 titled "Conceptualizing Poverty in the Educational Setting: A Student Response to Local and Global Poverty." Her paper focused on the devastating effects of chronic poverty both locally and globally and argued that teachers must educate their students concerning this national and international humanitarian issue"

For our Globalization Project, to end hunger and poverty in Somalia, we have held a bake sale that we have profited greatly from. In our efforts to raise money we have learned not only to partake in globalization, but have been opened up to the world of business in sales. We took in a whooping total of about $50.00 in one day.

Along with our bake sale we have also sold approximately 60 t-shirts, sold out of our first batch. Before the reimbursement of money to our generous teacher, Mrs. Kitzman, we have earned 250-300 dollars, after about $161.00 which is a huge profit.

We will continue our fundraisers until Somalia is in less of a debt to poverty through Heifer International our leading organization. We thank everyone for supporting and helping not only us but the Somalian people through our Globalization Project.