Geneva Schlepp was stunned at the first-hand tale she heard from an African warrior in December.

Inspired to leave his tribe and gain a college education, the man first had to earn his father’s approval by slaying a lion with a club  —  all part of the Maasi Tribe’s rite of passage.

The man expedited the training that normally takes five years, learning technique in three months. He accomplished his feat and went on to college where he earned a degree in botany.

“We just take it for granted,” said Geneva, 13. “It’s like ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got school this morning.’ They were like, ‘I have to kill a lion to be able to go to school.’”

Within days, the seventh-grade Pine Lake Middle School student searched for a way she could make a difference. She went to the organization who brought the African warriors to her school, Free the Children, and knew exactly what she wanted to do.

“I thought ‘Brick by Brick’ looks like a pretty cool project, I can build a school anywhere,” she said.

Geneva recruited a family friend from the other side of the Plateau, James Thoreson, and the two got to work.

With a goal of raising $8,500 by the end of March, the duo have already raised close to $2,000 through donations and three bake sales at various Sammamish storefronts. When they meet their goal, the money will go to build a school in the desert region of Rajasthan in northern India where 60 percent of girls have dropped out of primary school and many families live below the poverty line.

Funds will support a new school house, desks, a teacher’s salary and clean water sanitation among other things.

“I wanted to help because I thought every kid needs an education,” said James, an eighth-grader at Inglewood Middle School. “I feel good about what I’m doing.”

Geneva and James have recruited a total of 13 other students on both sides of the Plateau. Many of those student’s younger siblings have also gained an interest.

Most impressively, very few of the kids, including Geneva and James, are doing the project for school credit  —  they simply want to make a difference in the world.

“At first I had some doubts, like what the heck, why would I do this,” Geneva said. “I’ve already got so much on my plate with sports, school, friends, church and family, but then I was like you know what, there’s so much that comes out of it and that you take away from it.”

The students baked all the goods they sold on their own, spending an estimated 20 hours on their first three bake sales. They are looking to do other fundraisers over the next two months, including car washes and door-to-door donations.

“The generosity of everybody was just amazing,” Geneva said. “They were just giving $20s and not taking anything.”

Those looking to make donations to their cause can send emails to schlepps@comcast.net.

Geneva Schlepp and James Thoreson bake goods for  one of the three fundraisers they’ve had so far.