Bermuda Girl Guides have come to the rescue of the impoverished African country of Somalia — by mobilising to raise $10,000 to build water points.

The Guides' theme for their yearly Thinking Day was 'Water' and through research, the girls discovered some horrifying statistics in third-world countries and decided to do what they could to help.

Rainbow, Brownie and Guide units rose to the challenge by working hard to raise funds through various methods, including walk-a-thons, trash-a-thons, bake sales, car washes and pledging.

One group, the 1st St. Patrick's Brownie Unit, raised funds through a water challenge.

The Brownies agreed to drink only water or milk as their beverage and solicited pledges and donations for their efforts.

Many Association members as well as members of the public donated generously to the cause, both at the Thinking Day service and at a fund-raising tea party held in March.

The latter event was supported by a number of local companies. Nine thousand dollars will be given to Mercy Corps, a charity, to install three water pumps for drinking water in Somalia. An additional $1,500 will be given to Orchid Charity Club, a local charity created to help poor people.

More than one billion people in the world do not have access to safe water, which equates to roughly one-sixth of the world's population.

Mercy Corps helps fulfil the water needs of vulnerable populations by offering solutions which include piping drinking water to rural communities, working to solve resource-based conflicts and ensuring that people have access to drinking water in the aftermath of devastating emergencies.

Jane Bielby of Girlguiding Bermuda said: "We are most grateful to everyone who has contributed in any way to this Water Challenge Project.

"Water is essential for life, good health and economic development. We hope that our funds will help the people of Somalia to have access to clean and safe water."

Minda Hedges Selbert, community relations officer for Mercy Corps, added: "I am very grateful to Girlguiding Bermuda for their wonderful efforts in raising this money.

"We will be using the funds to install three water pumps and on behalf of the people of Somalia, I would like to extend our gratitude."