TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Football fans attending the A-Day Game Saturday will get a chance to slake their thirst and, at the same time, help children and families in Africa who are desperately in need of clean water for drinking and bathing.

The University of Alabama’s Students in Free Enterprise, or SIFE, will sponsor a fundraising event Saturday on the Quad for PlayPump International. PlayPump is an organization working to improve living conditions for children and families throughout Africa by installing water pumps in areas of Africa where clean water is in great demand.

The organization also helps increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and encourages children to stay in school instead of hauling water, the source of which can be five miles or more from their villages.

PlayPump already has installed more than 1,000 pumps throughout Africa. The pump is designed in the shape of a merry-go-round and placed near schools in the area, which allows the children to play on the merry-go-round and, at the same time, pump clean drinking water to their community.

The UA SIFE team will provide bottled water and cups of ice for people who donate at least $1. The SIFE team recently presented the PlayPump organization as one of their community outreach projects at the SIFE USA Regional Competition in Charlotte, N.C.

The UA team won the competition for the second year in a row and will make PlayPump part of its project for the SIFE USA National Competition in Chicago.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.