For much of his young life, Tayler Demontigny has been fascinated with Africa.

When he and his mom, Kerry, check the weather in the morning, they also have to check in on conditions in Africa, and he often quizzes her about housing, lifestyles and the people of the foreign land. He even wears a necklace made from elephant hair, with a pendant shaped like the continent hanging from it.

“I don't know what perked his interest,” Kerry said.

Recently, the five-year-old's fascination with the continent escalated. One day while munching on watermelon, he was inspired to help feed families on the other side of the world.

“I was eating a watermelon one day and said 'I want to send this watermelon seed to Africa' when mommy said 'there's no clean water in Africa'” to grow the seed.
At first, Tayler wanted to solve the problem by simply sending water across the ocean. When he learned that wasn't a possibility, he had to come up with another solution.

With some help from his parents, he learned about where water comes from.

So far, the youngster has collected $4,000 to build a well in an African village. He needs to raise $3,000 more before groundbreaking can begin.

The money has come through donations and a water walk in which students from Lasalle Secondary School participated. Once all the money has been raised, The Water Project will help Tayler by selecting a community in need.

Kerry said Tayler has been learning about groundwater at home, where he digs and helps garden.

“If we can grow stuff, why can't they grow something in Africa,” is often the attitude the youngster has.

Kerry said Tayler would one day like to visit the well he helped build.

Anyone interested in helping Tayler reach his goal can visit www.thewaterproject.org.