Creativity Plus Philanthropy Yields Fun and Funds

Brockman Elementary is an urban, all-Montessori public school in Columbia, SC. Brockman has joined other schools in the South Carolina Montessori Alliance dedicated to bringing water to the Azawak. Upper Elementary Teacher M. Ansley Brown sent in this story: 

Advertising the up-coming 

“Give from the Heart” event; 

When the Upper Elementary students in the community here at Brockman Elementary became aware this February of the 35-mile daily trek that some children must make to obtain water for their families, they wanted to do something to make a difference for the families of the Azawak.  

They started by walking heart-embellished buckets through the morning car line on Valentine’s Day. Asking Brockman families to “Give from the Heart,” students enthusiastically encouraged everyone to donate generously to this worthy cause.

Additional brainstorming yielded several inspired possibilities, and the 4th and 5th graders decided to create original artwork to be used for note card covers. They generated a number of drawings from which 8 designs were chosen to make into card sets. They also decorated over one hundred “Amman Imman: Water is Life” bookmarks. 

Decorating bookmarks

On a “Learning at the Hands of Your Child” parent night in late February, when a large turnout of parents was expected, students planned a big fundraising event. They sold the student-created and –packaged note card sets and bookmarks, as well as home-made baked goods, to scores of children and parents in attendance. Two large tri-fold displays provided information and photographs about the need for water in the Azawak and the tremendous benefits of Amman Imman’s work there. In addition, mini-flyers were placed in the bookmark and note card sets to remind purchasers of the reason for their giving. 

Stuffing sets of bookmarks

Braiding bookmark cords

Selling baked goods 

Over $750 was raised through these events, and students began talking about ideas for fundraising next year, including designing new sets of cards annually. 

Shortly after this, the president and CEO of the Central Carolina Community Foundation was on the Brockman campus to read with third graders. This organization is committed, among other things, to helping children become engaged in the culture of philanthropy. After hearing about what the students had been doing, she spoke with members of her group, who then pledged funds to help the students reach $1,000 in their fundraiser. 

Brockman students presented all funds raised for Amman Imman (a little over $1,000) on February 29, 2012 at the South Carolina Montessori Alliance’s annual meeting, which takes place during Montessori Education Week.

Here are the eight note card designs that were selected for the covers of the Amman Imman note card sets:

  

Claremont Montessori: A Journey for Water

An 8th grade student from Claremont Montessori School in Boca Raton Florida contributes this report and accompanying photos:

A Walk for Water along the El Rio Trail in Boca Raton, FL

Students, teachers and some parents walked together

They walked to symbolize the trek that
children in the Azawak must do in search of water.

Students fetched muddy water from the creek

Everyone began to appreciate the clean water available
to them at the turn of a tap.

This Valentine’s Day, the students of the Claremont Montessori School, along with the staff and a few volunteer parents, went on a Walk for Water. This walk was taken down the El Rio Trail across the street from the school in Boca Raton, Florida. 

The reason for the Walk for Water was to symbolize the journey the children of the Azawak region of West Africa have to make every day just to collect dirty water for the consumption and household use of their families.

The eighth grade students lowered a bucket down into the canal and collected some of the water. Then the water was poured into a clear jug and set next to an identical jug filled with tap water. By doing this, all participants were able to compare and contrast the water.

It was an eye-opening experience, and we realized just how fortunate we are to have potable water right at our fingertips.

February 16, 2012

Written by an 8^th grade student

Claremont Montessori School

Happy Day of Love!

Happy Valentine's Day

from Amman Imman

to our Wells of Love family!

With Love 

from Ariane, Denis, Debbie, Momine, Michael, Laurel and Dennie 

Water is Life animated video

Water is Life. This animated video illustrates the essential importance of water in our lives, and how the water crisis affects millions of people around the world today.  Simple and straightforward, it raises awareness and invokes appreciation for this essential resource.  Information is shared through simple animation.  A great introduction to the concept that "Water is Life".  Please share it with your students to start your  Amman Imman: Water is Life campaign!

Food Security and World Water Day 2012

The theme for this year's World Water Day on March 22 is water and food security.  This is a fitting focus for Amman Imman's mission to bring water to the Azawak.  The interrelationship between food and water is apparent everyday in this drought-afflicted, resource-scarce region. Without water, there is no food.

Currently, due to last year's drought and poor harvest, all of Niger, and in fact all of the Sahel, is suffering a food shortage. Food prices have doubled and even tripled.  In January, the Niger government reported that over 750,000 people were food insecure, and predicted that numbers would rise to over 1 million.  Other reports predict even higher numbers. Last year, 200,000 refugees fleeing turmoil in Libya flooded into Niger.  Conditions are worsening with fighting in Mali causing the exodus of 15,000 additional refugees into already food scarce Niger.  A humanitarian crisis begs attention from the world.  Read this new report on the hunger crisis across the Sahel published in Time magazine today.

At Amman Imman, we are doing our utmost to aid our borehole communities in the Azawak that now have water.  We are providing staple grain, which the community can sell to community members and visitors at less than half the price it can be found on the market.  A percentage of the profit from the grain sales will go to the women for their projects, including restocking their cereal banks. The rest of the profit will go toward their borehole fund, as an additional security measure if and when borehole repairs need to be made.  As a longer term strategy, we are conducting gardening training  among all community members - including school children - as well as providing tools and seeds.

For World Water Day,  Amman Imman is offering a presentation about water and food security in the Azawak region of Niger.  If you'd like to schedule an assembly at your school or for your group this spring, please contact Debbie at info@ammanimman.org.

A Walk for Water, 2012

Washington DC area schools and families, please join us on  May 12, 2012, for the 6th annual A Walk for Water.  Register online on our FirstGiving Walk for Water registration page. 

Organize A Walk for Water in your community. Visit our Walk for Water Campaign page on the Amman Imman website for materials and resources.  We have a planning guide and fundraising kit available that you can download.