May The Water Flow (for the people of the Azawak)

The latest version of May the Water Flow (for the people of the Azawak) has been published on YouTube. This musical and photographic slide show is a tribute to the people of the Azawak of West Africa whose courage, determination, and love of life, despite their daily struggle to find water, has inspired students around the world, ages 3 and up, to become change-makers.

The song, written by Andrew Kutt, director of the Oneness-Family School, salutes the efforts of students who have partnered with Amman Imman, the only humanitarian organization working to bring water to this abandoned region where people are daily dying of thirst. Inspired by the work of Ariane Kirtley, founder and director of Amman Imman, students are organizing fund raising events and making presentations to let the world know about the desperate situation the people of the Azawak face on a daily basis.

In his dedication of the song, Andrew articulated the student response to Ariane's example of taking action toward a situation that begged a response. He said, "Ariane is living proof that a single person, who is true to her highest self and holds fast to her deepest aspiration, can indeed change the world."

In July, 2007, the first Amman Imman borehole became fully operational. People in Tangarwashane, one small village in the vast Azawak valley, no longer have to travel 35 miles a day in search of water. Many more boreholes are needed to serve the needs of the 500,000 people in the Azawak.

Photographs in the video are courtesy of Ariane Kirtley, Denis Gontero, Montessori schools around the world who are building a Well of Love,and the Internet.

May the Water Flow (for the people of the Azawak)
words and music by Andrew Kutt

I've been walking for miles and miles
Along this dusty road beneath a blazing sky
Searching for sustenance
So our children will not die.

I've been waiting for years and years
in this desert for some kind of hope
Praying to the Gods above
That our people can have a fertile home.

May the water flow all over our land
May the children smile again
May the Gods above answer all our prayers
And may the world begin to care
There is so much we have to teach
But love is just outside our reach
There is so much we want to learn
But first this chapter has to turn.

Now children from a distant land
Have helped us dig beneath the sand
Water can now flow to us
And to our animals from the Well of Love.

With new friendships and new strength
Our women can work alongside our men
Start anew to use our tools
Build new roads, home and schools.

May the water flow all over our land
May the children smile again
May the Gods above answer all our prayers
And may the world begin to care
There is so much we have to teach
But love is just outside our reach
There is so much we want to learn
But first this chapter has to turn.

I had a dream that children of all races
Were dancing in the rain
And the deserts of the world
Were filled with flowers and with grain.

And I know that the wisdom of all the ancient ones will guide our way
Brothers and sisters hand in hand
to build a greener day.

May the water flow all over our land
May the children smile again
May the Gods above answer all our prayers
And may the world begin to care
There is so much we have to teach
But love is just outside our reach
There is so much we want to learn
But first this chapter has to turn.