Alabama student Jai Varikuti's UNICEF campaign raises nearly $5,500 across six schools

Jai Varikuti, a junior at Oak Mountain High School, did not set out to build one of the country’s most successful high school fundraising campaigns. He was watching the news during his freshman year when he saw children carrying jugs of water nearly as large as they were, a sight that stayed with him and pushed him to ask what he could do from Alabama, reported WBRC News. According to WVTM 13, that question led him to create the state’s first UNICEF chapter, an effort that has since grown to six high schools and raised nearly $5,500 toward a $10,000 goal.The campaign is now leading the nation among more than 600 high schools participating in UNICEF fundraising. What began as one student’s reaction to a news story has become a coordinated effort involving bake sales, car washes, business partnerships, and donation boxes placed across local communities.The moment that started itVarikuti has been clear about where the idea began. He saw children in a disaster-affected area carrying water on their backs, and the image made him think about the difference between his own life in the United States and the daily struggle those children faced.“I’m here in the U.S. I’m living comfortably. I’m like, what can I do here that can make a difference?” he told WVTM 13.