A wave of sadness hit junior Anna White as she watched the African girls her age carry heavy jugs full of water into their small community.

“It made me realize how much I take for granted,” White said.

White and her father Mr. Gary White traveled with the organization he co-founded with actor Matt Damon called Water Partners International. In 2008 Gary was inducted into the World Philanthropy Hall of Fame. Water Partners raises money in the US and takes it over to third-world countries in mostly Africa and Asia. The money is then given to smaller, “trusted” companies in those countries, who know the communities and what they need. The money goes toward building a wells for clean drinking water.

“My dad’s company also trains the people in the community to build the wells,” White said. “That way if something goes wrong and breaks, [people in the community] can repair it themselves. It makes them self-sufficient.”

While in grade school White spent two and a half weeks on her trip to Africa in both Kenya and Ethiopia.

“I saw a lot of [well] projects while I was there,” White said. “It wasn’t something I could really help out with a lot, though. The people there need to learn how to maintain them.”

During her trip, White and her travel group went out to a small village two hours out of their way.

“It was in the middle of nowhere,” White said.

When the group arrived, they were greeted by a community gathering. Being surrounded by people banging on drums, with overjoyed smiles on their faces, was something White would never forget. Water Partners would make a difference in their lives.

“It was amazing how you were a white person going over [to Africa] who had so much wealth and they didn’t hold it against you,” White said.

As for White, she wants to continue traveling on these projects with her father.

“I haven’t been anywhere in a while,” White said. “But I really want to go to Haiti this summer.”