Briana Brooke-Merritt was in the sixth grade when her parents divorced as a result of safety concerns for the family. While it was “the most difficult time” of her life, she said the community, her friends and her church rallied around the young teenager, her mother and four younger brothers in their time of need.
Because of that generosity, Brooke-Merritt said she and her family were able to move beyond those horrible moments, giving her the opportunity to play basketball for Sammamish High School, work at the YMCA and become the person she is today.
Last year she decided she wanted to find a “meaningful” way to give back, and after speaking with her cousin, Brinnley Ashton, she discovered an opportunity to do just that. Now, the 18-year-old Sammamish High School senior is setting out to build plumbing infrastructure in a country that desperately needs it.
In July, Brooke-Merritt — along with 19 other youth and five leaders — will travel to Cape Verde, Africa, to build toilets and sinks.
“I’ve gone through a lot of things in my life that I couldn’t have done without the help of others,” she said. “I want to do something for someone else … something meaningful.”
Cape Verde, an island country spanning 10 islands some 350 miles off the coast of Western Africa, has a population of roughly 500,000. An estimated 38 percent live in poverty as many of the islands lack natural resources.
Almost all food and household goods have to be imported creating an extremely high cost of living. The average family income of $400 per month doesn’t help either, Brooke-Merritt said.
In the city of Mindelo, on the small island of Sao Vincente — where she and the group from Humanitarian Experience For Youth (H.E.F.Y.) — are traveling, many of its 80,000 residents may have access to water through the island’s desalination plant. However, despite access to water, many homes don’t have sinks or toilets, let alone the funds to have them built.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Brooke-Merritt said. “The more I looked into (the program) the more I realized this is a third-world country. I’m so blessed here, and something as basic as a toilet is viewed as a luxury there.”
She added the people’s access to proper bathrooms will also greatly improve hygiene conditions in those neighborhoods, allowing family members to wash their hands and brush their teeth on a regular basis.
But before she sets off across the globe in her first airplane ride, Brooke-Merritt has to raise $3,000 to fund her portion of the project.
In an effort to raise the necessary funds, Brooke-Merritt turned to her friends, who jumped at the chance to help, putting on a benefit concert and assisting with T-shirt sales.
Local bands Audrey & Annie, Rylen Akana, Sailor Swift and Bixby will play at Ground Zero, the former Lake Hills Library at 15228 Lake Hills Blvd., 7 p.m. March 28 to help their friend and neighbor realize her dream of repaying, at least in part, the debt she feels for when others helped her and her family.
Tickets for the show are $10 at the door and T-shirts, which Brooke-Merritt designed herself, featuring a cartoon construction site, will be available for $12 each. Brooke-Merritt said she will also take orders for the gray or green shirts via email at bri.n.brooke@gmail.com.
Donations can also be made online by visiting www.hefy.org and clicking the “donate” button, then entering Briana Merritt as the fundraiser.
