Update from the Azawak

Team Amman Imman in the Azawak in April at a party celebrating the inauguration of the first borehole (from left to right): Moustapha Alkoussoum, Yanic Cadenas, Mary Ohren, Ariane Kirtley, Denis Gontero.

Dear Friends of the Azawak,

I very much apologize for the delay I have taken to send this update. I first want to reassure everyone that things are going very smoothly for the project and team members in Niger.

Many noteworthy events have taken place these past couple of weeks:

1) Several large international NGOs have shown a great deal of interest in partnering with Amman Imman to conduct a large scale water project in the Azawak. I am in the process of writing a proposal, and we may hear back from one of these organizations as soon as the end of the month. I'll wait to name the organizations until after the proposal has been submitted and we've obtained a response. If our proposal is accepted, Amman Imman would be in charge of implementing program activities, and a major source of funding for our activities and the actual water sources would come from the international NGO.

2) Denis and Moustapha have been very busy bees this past week in the Azawak. They spent a few days in Tangarwachane, the location for our first borehole, with the contractors we are hiring to better equip the borehole. They had to make an on site visit to determine technical details before placing orders for materials. Construction should begin by mid May and be completed by the end of June. Denis and Moustapha also visited the mayor and the head of the hydraulics department in Tchintabaradene to continue discussing an eventual partnership. We began this discussion the last time we were in the Azawak, but still need to determine their commitment and contribution, which is essential for ensuring the long-term success of the project.

3) Yanic Cadenas returned to France on April 27th after two months working for Amman Imman as our technical and audio visual assistant. We are very grateful for his help and investment in the project, and we hope to make his videos and photos available soon. Thank you, Yanic!!

Many exciting events are also taking place in the USA. Yale UNICEF students raised over 1000 dollars last month for Amman Imman . The combined efforts of the Montessori schools have recently raised over 10,000 dollars through their various activities ranging from "A Month without Water", to Earth Day programs, to bake sales at the IMF. Students are proving their great determination and ability to make the world a better place. So I want to send out a huge thank you to all the students, as well as to their teachers and families that have supported their efforts of solidarity.

Yours in Gratitude and Peace,
Ariane