In October, 2007, Ariane spoke at the Global Citizenship Action Project (GCAP), a professional conference for Montessori students held in New York City. 125 students from 16 Montessori schools attended to learn how they could become active as global citizens. Read about Amman Imman's presentation at this link: Inspiring a Passion to Act: Global Citizenship Action Project.

We've heard from a couple of schools whose students attended the GCAP conference and want to help the children of the Azawak:

We, Montessori middle school students at The Boyd School in Chantilly, VA, would like to coordinate a "walking for water" project at our school in spring 2008. We loved hearing Ariane speak in NYC at the GCAP. Thank you for all that you do for our challenged citizens of the world.

Hi there! I'm the director of the Middle School level at the Berkeley Montessori School in Berkeley, CA. We heard about Amman Imman and the Montessori Wells of Love project at the Global Citizens Action Project conference in New York back in October, 2007, and are planning a series of fund- and awareness-raisers in our school community.

Our first one is a night of dramatic one-acts on Friday, February 8th. Just thought we'd say hi and let you know we're excited to get involved. Thanks.

Dear Montessori Friends and Friends of the Azawak,

Read all the latest posts on the blog at http://montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com/ by scrolling down or go to these specific entries:

This blog update letter brings you a variety of reports on the Amman Imman project from a variety of sources, from new stories about schools, to reports in local media, to articles from guest contributors, to new resources for teachers that can aid them in bringing the project meaningfully into their classroom.

From the media, we find an interview with Ariane Kirtley in the December 15th issue of the Palo Alto News. I received an email from the author saying, ".... a beautiful job of using this subject to teach kids. It encompasses so many topics from economics to science to compassion for others." Read the interview at: In the News: Interview with Ariane Kirtley

From local news in Washington state, an article in the Peninsula Gateway tells how the Harbor Montessori School has implemented the project, highlighting the value of global service: Harbor Montessori teaches students about global service

Also out of Washington state, the Salmonberry School incorporated the project into their curriculum in a very effective way. Teachers, get ideas on how you might enhance your curriculum in a variety of subject areas: Curriculum ideas from the Salmonberry School.

A contribution to the blog by Salmonberry Director Paul Freedman describes their approach to the project and the student's participation in "A Walk For Water". The article will be published in the Islands Sounder next week. . Read the story, and enjoy the comments by students on what they learned about the project: More than a Drop in the Bucket.

Many people have asked what they can do to prepare themselves or students to make an Amman Imman presentation. The post Preparing students to present Amman Imman will aid you in getting the most out of this process as possible. Enjoy the learning and discovery!

To enhance your presentation and bring the project up to date, you can now Download the PDF: Changing lives one borehole at a time containing the story in pictures of how life has improved for the people of Tangarwashane, the site of the first Amman Imman borehole, now that they have water.

Finally, a report on Amman Imman's tour this past November with Malian band Tinariwen by guest author Julie Snorek. Julie's time in Niger lends a personal perspective to the continuing story: Amman Imman Hits the Road with Desert Nomad Band, Tinariwen

Please keep in touch! It is always great to hear from you!

In appreciation,
Debbie

Remember World Water Day, March 22, 2008.

Amman Imman: Water is Life
Bringing water and hope to the Azawak of West Africa

special contribution to the blog by Julie Snorek

Several months ago, as I was listening to Tinariwen’s newest CD entitled “Aman Iman,” I couldn’t help but think that the project Amman Imman and this Malian music group should bridge a partnership over such common ground – Water is Life. Both the world-class musicians and our nonprofit hold a common goal - to bring hope and life to the people of the Azawak. This idea, followed by a phone call to Ariane Kirtley and an introductory letter to Tinariwen’s manager, Andy Morgan, sent Debbie Kahn and I on tour, following the band from Montreal to Quebec City, Boston to Burlington. During the 4 days with Tinariwen, we shared information on the water crisis in the Azawak and leaflets with the more than 3,000 concert-goers, who, like us, saw the significance of our efforts and wanted to do more to help.

Tinariwen

I first met Ariane, the project’s founder and director at a Tuareg festival called the Cure Sallee in August 2005 during my 2-year Peace Corps volunteer service. She agreed to drive me back to my village from the festival grounds, what was to be a 2-day trip. Along the way, we talked about the place she had just experienced for the first time – the Azawak and the Fulbright research she was doing there. She explained how this trip had changed her life; because, in all her travels throughout Niger, never had she seen people who are dying in such numbers because they lack access to water. As a volunteer living in the greener zones of the Sahel, it was alarming to me that this problem wasn’t being met by the somewhat overwhelming number of aid organizations working in Niger, nor the Nigerien government.

During that ride and several other, consequential excursions to the Azawak, I experienced firsthand the challenge of finding water in this pastoral region and fell in love with the enchanting people who cared for and housed me under their leather tents. Now, having finished 2 years of work in Niger, I’ve returned to Vermont, USA. Of all the humanitarian work I experienced there, I can’t think of a project that deserves my energies more than Amman Imman. And, as a volunteer I hope to share Ariane’s vision that I first glimpsed so long ago traveling together in 2005. My first effort to do so begins with this most unexpected partnership and tour with a crew of nomad singers.

Tinariwen’s lyrics summarize the situation in the Azawak. They sing of wandering through blank landscape, times without water and hope, thoughts of home and being unable to return due to drought. The life of the nomad is one full of longing, a search for survival, for water and pasture, knowing that death comes easily, and happiness is fragile. Tinariwen play the poetry of their home, accompanied by modern guitars. The lyrics are tales ages old that still ring true today, of people whose strength has been grinded down through the trials of colonialism and post-colonial discriminatory government policies, but who have maintained their pride, humor and courage.

I spoke in depth about the water issue with one of the senior musicians, Abdullah. He talked about a borehole that he frequented as a young child. It was built in the 60's by a foreign oil company that was drilling in the northern Sahel in a region that was virtually desolate – no people, no pasture, nothing. The oil company was disappointed when all they discovered in the region was a deep, underground river of pure water that is said to flow out of Algeria. They built three boreholes in the area. It was around these water sources that Abdullah’s family nourished themselves and their herds. And the water from these sources continues to give life to people in this region today. Then, he explained how rare such reliable, permanent water sources are and how lucky his family was to benefit from such a source.

Amman Imman’s story about building boreholes in the Azawak struck a chord with audience members. A dramatic table display of photographs of the children of the Azawak drew people in to learn more about the culture the band was singing about, and their story of a life seeking water. A story board told about the children who die every day because this water is not found by the young girls of the family in time to save them. As the Azawak becomes more engulfed by the desert to the north with greater impacts from global climate change, this search will be more and more difficult. Our efforts helped broaden the understanding that is needed to provide water sources in the Azawak. Each evening, people understood more about the need to help and opened up their wallets with contributions.

But, the momentum of the tour was small in compared to what more work still needs to be done. Amman Imman is only effective when this story is continuing to be told, and more money is raised for a new borehole.


As readers of this blog, you have the opportunity to join in whatever creative way you can think of to help raise awareness and funds. If you are a teacher, ask your children to produce artwork to sell for the boreholes. If you are active in your community, ask the town to sponsor “A Walk for Water.” Give a presentation at your university or host one at your house. Our small efforts combined can change the world for the children of the Azawak.

Eyadou talks with concert goers in Quebec

We hope this New Year allows the project to add two new boreholes to the already momentus one. Not a single child of the Azawak should be dying in this age of innovation and technological achievement, simply because he or she lacks access to any kind of clean water. A clean drink of water is a human right. I look forward to reading others’ accounts of how Amman Imman is coming alive in your local communities.

With hope,
Julie Snorek

Concert goers at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts learn about Amman Imman

At the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, Tinariwen fans look at the display

Julie talks with a fan at Club Soda, Montreal

Julie with Sayed and Hassan in Boston

Debbie with Eyadou and Tiddo in Quebec

Julie on the Tinariwen tour bus

special contribution to the blog by Paul Freedman, director of Salmonberry School, Orcas Island, Washington State

Salmonberry School’s Primary Class recently capped off an integrated thematic study of water and North African cultures with an inspiring service learning project called “A Walk for Water.” The ten 5-7 year olds walked a total of 76 half-mile loops through Eastsound to raise funds for a remote North African community in need of help to drill wells for their community. The most determined of the young walkers completed five miles each.
It all started in the fall with the class studying water. They looked at water properties, water cycle, and all kinds of scientific investigations. Quickly this led to explorations of water resource issues locally and around the world. In December the class began an in depth cross cultural study of the Saharan region and particularly the country of Niger, generally considered the poorest, and driest country on earth. In this phase of the project the class cooked and ate food from North Africa, looked at and analyzed photographs, read Peace Corps workers’ journals, listened to and played music, looked at clothing, language, housing and games from the region, and even touched on language, folk tales and religion in North Africa. I believe it was a very respectful and rich cultural study. The children got a full sense of what it might be like to live in the Saharan Region.

Salmonberry School then connected with the Amman-Imman (Water is Life) Project, a collaborative effort of educators and children across the country committed to helping raise money and awareness through service learning projects in their communities. The project is targeting a region called the Azawak Valley located mostly in the west part of Niger and extending into Mali. It is an area roughly the size of Florida with 500,000 people and virtually no water for nine months each year. In this community people, often young children, have to walk huge distances to find muddy water sources to bring back meager supplies of water for their families for drinking, cooking, bathing, watering stock and irrigating gardens. Sometimes these children journey up to thirty miles in search of water.With this figure in mind, the Salmonberry students set a goal of a cumulative 30 mile walk through Eastsound. And Tuesday, January 15, it became a reality. Students gathered pledges from friends and family members. Then they walked for three hours, collecting tokens for each half-mile they completed. All together the class collected 76 tokens representing 38 miles walked cumulatively. These efforts will result in a sizable amount of money to contribute to the Amman-Imman Project. It also resulted in some amazing and unexpected learning on the part of the kids.

“I learned how when you have something hard to do it is easier if friends do it with you,” Emma Freedman, 7

“I learned how our class supports each other whatever each person is able to do,”

“I learned that kids in Niger have to walk a long way for water and that they must have very strong legs and feet,” Stormy Hildreth, 6

“I learned I sleep well after I exercise,” Maddi Dudley, 6

“I learned that when you do something even if it is a hard thing to do, you feel really good and proud in the end,” Ethan White, 7

“I learned it feels good to help people,” Benjamin Pollard, 7

“I learned that the world isn’t always fair for everyone,” Henry Miller, 6

The classroom teacher and Director of Salmonberry Elementary School had this to say: “I think we teachers and parents often underestimate children. We try to shield them from the unpleasant realities of life on earth when actually they are capable of such deep understanding and such wisdom and compassion. At the same time it is extremely important to guide young children as they begin to open their eyes to the world’s injustices. It would be easy for us to instill in youngsters a sense of hopelessness and despair. And yet it is also possible to begin to develop a sense of agency, possibility and social activism; and that is what service learning is all about. Young elementary age kids are particularly tuned in to issues of fairness. They are so aware of commonalities and basic humanity in all people. They are uniquely open to appreciation for diversity and difference. It is a wonderful opportunity to capitalize on all of these unique capacities and learn together in ways that are joyful and meaningful, and that leave a positive footprint on the earth. I know the donation we will make to help the people of the Azawak will be just a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed, but after all a bucket-full is nothing more than a collection of drops. These kids got so much out of this project. I am so proud of all of them.”

The students wrote beautiful heartfelt letters and cards that will be included with the check, which will be mailed to the Amman-Imman Project.

For more information on this project please visit the following websites: www.waterforniger.org and www.montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com

What can you do to prepare your students to present the Amman Imman project to your community?

Tie the project into the curriculum Here are a few ideas, and there are many more possibilities!

• As you study the water cycle, relate that throughout the Azawak the water table is at least 600 feet below the surface, too deep for regular well-digging.

• In your study of simple machines, note that the deep open wells in the Azawak utilize a pulley system. However, with the depth of the wells at 300 feet and deeper, the people cannot not power the pulleys themselves but need the assistance of donkeys who often collapse in the process.

• Research the global water crisis, learn about nomadic cultures, discuss political and environmental implications that affect the people in the Azawak and why they do not have the resources they need.

• Resources:
  

A Trip With Drip: The Water Drop
a learning by doing workbook on water for children published by the United Nations Environmental Programme(UNEP)

Every Body Counts, Every Drop Matters
United Nations Classroom Resource Guide on Water, designed to inform students about the world's water resources and get them involved in preserving them.

Leila, A Tuareg Child
from the Children of the World series

Nomads of Niger, photographs by Carol Beckwith, text by Marion Van Offelen
a photographic journey into the traditions and lives of the Wodaabe Fulani, the pastoral nomads of West Africa

Art of Being Tuareg, Sahara Nomads in a Modern World, edited by Thomas K. Seligman and Kristyne Loughran
examines the mystique of the Tuareg through photographs and essays on aspects of Tuareg life and culture. (Recently I had the chance to see the exhibit, Art of Being Tuareg, Sahara Nomads in a Modern World, at the National Museum of African Art in Washington D.C. I'm not sure where this amazing exhibit is going next, but if you get a chance, do visit it! )

Learn about the Amman Imman's project in the Azawak
To learn about the Amman Imman project in the Azawak, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the Amman Imman website where you can find valuable information about the people of the Azawak, water insufficiency in the region, and Amman Imman's project to build boreholes as a sustainable solution to the water scarcity.

Listen and watch Ariane Kirtley's presentation of the project
1. Amman Imman presentation, January 2007
This 38 minute movie features footage from the Azawak. In it, Ariane tells the story of why she started the project and describes the circumstances under which the children and families live with a daily trek in search of water. Please bear in mind that this video was made in January, 2007 and so does not include information about Amman Imman's installation of the borehole at Tangarwashane.

2. Amman Imman presentation, October 26, 2007
In this movie, Ariane presents Amman Imman to a group of people in the Washington D.C. area. She shares her story, the story of Amman Imman and its first success, the Tangarwashane borehole, and the story of how schools and students around the world are helping save lives in the Azawak. Although the video in this movie is a bit jumpy, it does contain the most up-to-date information. Therefore this would be worth listening to as you prepare for your presentation. (Suggestion: when you go to this website, let the movie load before clicking on play.)

Download the Powerpoint Presentation (November, 2007)
The powerpoint presentation, together with the script, contains up-to-date and detailed information about the project, including photos of the completed borehole at Tangarwashane. Download it at a .ppt file through scribd.com.

Tailor the script to the presenters and their audience
Once you learn about the project and review the script, you will want to tailor it to your audience. It contains many details and may need to be simplified depending upon the age of presenters.
For examples of scripts tailored to different audiences, see the following:
Presentation for Elementary Students: Download this file for your students to present the project to other students ages 8 -12.
Presentation for MS Students: Download this file for your students to present to Middle School and older audiences.
(Download as .ppt file to get scripts.)

Make it personal: add to the powerpoint presentation
Tell why this project is important to you. Add slides to the powerpoint presentation to show what other schools have done and how your school plans to raise awareness and funds.

Practice the presentation
Remember to speak slowly and connect with your audience by making eye contact. Before making the presentation to your community, practice in front of a small audience.

Enjoy sharing this project
I have found that people are truly moved by hearing about the Amman Imman project. Not only are they touched by the plight of the people in the Azawak and therefore want to help, but they are inspired by the efforts of children actively working to tell the world about this crisis.

In December, the Salmonberry School, an independent school located on beautiful Orcas Island in Washington State, began to incorporate the Amman Imman project into their elementary curriculum in preparation for fund raising activities in January. Please take note of what they did! The ideas listed here provide a rich orientation for students to enliven their cultural awareness about Africa as they engage in the project. Many thanks to Paul Freedman, head of the Salmonberry School, for providing this list of activities.

"In December, we dove into our studies of Saharan Africa:

• We looked at a number of photographs from the Azawak region of Niger, which we used as texts and tried to glean as much as we could about these people’s lives and culture.
  
• We similarly looked at some of the North African artifacts on loan from the Global and Multicultural Resource Center.
  
• We looked at some North African art and designs.
• We worked with the map to discover the vast Sahara desert and the “sahel” region to the south (see map).
  
• We cooked a Nigerien snack on Thursday, cous cous – a big hit – which is a rice-like granule made from semolina wheat and peanuts, actually not a nut at all, but an underground growing legume.
  
• We listened to African music and recreated some simple rhythms.
  
• We learned a cooperative group game from Africa, which makes use of rhythm and movement, as well as the two person strategy game of mancala.
  
• On Friday we heard and analyzed a folktale from the Tuareg people of Niger and Mali. We looked at characters, setting, lesson, and plot and compared this story to Cinderella. We employed drama to act out a folktale.
  
• We also made some North Africa inspired masks, in which we used art principles of positive and negative space and symmetry. We also discussed use of dance, costume and masks in traditional rituals across cultures.
  
• We looked at math from a North African perspective, both through number systems and geometry."

Paul tells us, "The kids seem extremely engaged, full of questions, excited by the mystery and unfamiliarity this region represents, and extremely and markedly uncritical or judgmental. They are so open and receptive. It’s incredible."

On Tuesday, January 15, ten children from Salmonberry's primary class participated in A Walk For Water. Stay tuned to the blog for the story and photos!

Note: map showing Sahel, credit Wikipedia

An article in the Peninsula Gateway that comes out of Gig Harbor in Washington State describes the work that Harbor Montessori students are doing with the Amman Imman project. They've discovered wonderful ways to raise money for Amman Imman's work, spread awareness about the Azawak, and teach children values about being a global citizen while at the same time helping students become more conscious of their daily water usage.

Reading the article reminded me of the connection between the Amman Imman project and the values inherent in Montessori philosophy. As expressed by Harbor Montessori principal Sonya Carey, "the project touches on all four pillars of a Montessori education: passion for excellence, global understanding, universal values and a culture of service. The students have learned about African culture while also understanding the impact of volunteerism."

I've reprinted the article below, or you can go directly to the Peninsula Gateway at this link: http://www.gateline.com/104/story/394.html

A small note before you read the article: I alerted author Paige Richmond to an error in the article because one student is quoted naming the country as "Nigeria" rather than "Niger". Paige wrote back:
Thanks for writing. “Nigeria” is the country the student named. It must have been a slip of the tongue on his behalf. I wish I had caught that, but I printed his words as he said them. I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I know the Amman Imman Project is doing great work. Thanks, Paige

Harbor Montessori teaches students about global service

by Paige Richmond of the Gateway, published: 11:08 AM January 16th, 2008

When Harbor Montessori principal Sonya Carey first heard about the Amman Imman Water Project last April, she saw an opportunity to help children in need.

The nationwide project, started by former Montessori student Ariane Kirtley, hopes to raise $150,000 to tap deep-underground water sources in the Azawak region of Niger, Africa. The region is severely water-deprived; during the
nine-month-long dry season each year, young children often travel 30 miles a day to find the nearest well to bring water to their

families.

Gateway Photo/Paige Richmond

Joseph Tarabochia, 9, Carter Asay, 9, and Morgan Carey, 10, drop
a coin in their water bottles each time they use water to wash
their hands, drink or do dishes. The coins are donated to the
Amman Imman project.

“The water (in Niger) is as dark as or darker than the color of hot chocolate,” said Claire Goston, a fourth-grader at Harbor Montessori who is part of the project.

Carey said the project has also become an opportunity for students like Goston to learn both about a foreign country and about themselves.

“The children gain confidence and self-esteem by making a difference,” said Carey, who has been principal at Harbor Montessori for seven years.

The project is simple enough: All upper elementary and middle school students at Harbor Montessori have an empty water bottle that they carry with them. Whenever they use water — by drinking, washing their hands or flushing a toilet, for example — they drop a coin into the bottle. Once a week, the students empty their bottles into a cardboard well kept in the school’s lobby.

On Earth Day, Carey will open the well and the money will be donated the Amman Imman Project. The students also raised money by selling pizza and concessions at Family Bingo Night in October; they will do the same at Family Craft Night next month.

Carey feels that the project touches on all four pillars of a Montessori education: passion for excellence, global understanding, universal values and a culture of service. The students have learned about African culture while also understanding the impact of volunteerism.

“Nigeria is the poorest country in the world,” fourth-grader Joseph Tarabochia said about what he learned from the project.

“They ride donkeys to get water and the children have to get their own water,” added 9-year-old Carter Asay.

Some students admit it is hard to remember to always drop a coin in their bottles each time they use water, but they agree that what they like most about the project is helping others.

“We can make a difference for the Africans,” said Jonathan Brown, a fifth-grade student.

The fourth- and fifth-grade students were so enthusiastic about the project, Carey said, that they are giving a PowerPoint presentation about Amman Imman to the Rotary Club next month.

Neither Carey nor the students are sure how much money they have raised, since they will not open the well until April. The students guess between $20 and $60.

The Amman Imman project is only one of many service projects that Harbor Montessori students are involved in. For Valentine’s Day, students will make and deliver Valentines cards to seniors at retirement homes throughout the community.

“The big thing in Montessori education is developing that culture of service plus global understanding,” Carey said.

Amman Imman's borehole at Tangarwashane has dramatically changed the lives of the people living there as well as the lives of the nomads traveling through. The mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and all their animals now have access to water.

Share the latest news in pictures about how Amman Imman is changing lives. See the blog post at Changing lives one borehole at a time, and download the PDF file right here.

Photographer focuses lens on water shortage

by L.J. Anderson for the Palo Alto Daily News, December 15, 2007

Photographs have a way of immediately connecting a person with the object in the photograph. Photographer and public health researcher Ariane Kirtley wants that connection to result in water for the poorest people in the poorest country of the world. Through her powerful photographs of the West African people of Azawak in Niger, she is keeping a promise that she made to tell the world about their plight. Kirtley is founder of Amman Imman, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing clean, available and sustainable sources of water for the Azawak people. Her photography can be seen at www.waterforniger.org.

Q: How important was photography in your household growing up?

Ariane: Photography was extremely important and determined how I was raised and my future life choices. My parents were freelance photojournalists for National Geographic, Geo, Time and other. Their expertise was West Africa, and I crossed the Sahara Desert of Niger for the first time when I was 6 months old — in a basket tied to the back seat of the family Land Cruiser Until I turned 10, my home was in North and West Africa as I accompanied my parents everywhere they worked. I grew up among the nomadic Bozo fishermen in Mali, the Ibadite Muslims of central Algeria, animist Guere “panther men” of western Ivory Coast, and the Inadan Tuareg artisans of Niger’s Aïr Mountains in th Sahara Desert.

Q: When did you start to view photography as a way to improve people’s health?

Ariane: I wanted to return to Africa with skills to help the people whom I considered my family. I obtained a master’s (degree) in public health from Yale in 2004, and then returned to Africa as a Fulbright Scholar to conduct a public health study among different ethnic groups in rural Niger. Having grown up with parents who used photography to tell stories of people and cultures, it was natural for me to do the same. I quickly realized it would be an essential tool for me to share the lives, as well as both the beauty plight, of the people I wanted to help.

Q: Why were you drawn to the people of Azawak, and what were the conditions there?

Ariane: In September of 2005, I traveled to Niger’s most remote region, Azawak, a pastoral region with 500,000 people and covering 80,000 square miles (approximately the size of Florida). I had never been to an area with so few resources, where one out of every two children dies before the age of 5, where people have to ride a donkey for two days to get health care, and where people are dying of dehydration because water is not available. At the same time, I encountered among the most generous people I have ever met. I went to the to collect public health data. I went into 700 households, and every single person I met begged me, “Please help bring us water to stop our children from dying.” As a researcher, it wasn’t my role — but I promised to serve as witness to their water plight to the rest of the world. I tried to garner help from large international development organizations, and learned that they were not going to provide it anytime soon. In February of 2006, I founded Amman Imman (which translates into Water is Life in the local language, Tamachek) to build permanent and sustainable water sources — called boreholes — especially adapted to the difficult hydrogeological conditions in the area.

Q: What has changed in the region since your involvement?

Ariane: This year Amman Imman accomplished its first success story by building its first borehole, a tube or narrow shaft that is drilled deep into the ground. Our borehole was drilled 200 meters (600 feet) deep and feeds water into a water tank that contains 20,000 liters (5,300 gallons) of water. Not only are the people healthier because they have more water to drink, cook and wash with, but the water is clean and therefore not causing additional sickness. The livestock herds have increased and are providing more milk. They have growing sustenance crops, and have time for smallscale, revenue-generating activities. The communities have also built a school for themselves.

Q: What would you like people to know about the need in that area of the world?

Ariane: This is one of the few regions where people are literally dying of thirst because water is inaccessible — unlike most places where mortality is caused by lack of access to clean water. Despite their dire living conditions, no large-scale organization or government agencies work to improve their lives. These people have less than 1.5 gallons of water per day/per person to drink, cook with, bathe with and wash their clothes with. The typical American uses an average of 70 gallons of water per day and the World Health Organization states that, at the very minimum, an individual must have at least 6.5 gallons of water just to survive. The survival of the people of the Azawak depends on how much rain falls. This year, the rainy season (which is only 15 minutes to an hour of rain maximum per day) only lasted one month and a half. The people of the Azawak have a saying, “Amman Imman, Arr Issudarr” which means Water is Life, Milk is Hope. Before the children of the Azawak can have hope, they need water. Before they can have hope, they need life.

LJ Anderson writes on health matters every Tuesday.

Dear Montessori Friends and Friends of the Azawak,

Happy New Year! For many of us, the new year brings new possibilities. We have certainly seen the blossoming of possibilities over the last year as students around the world have come together to bring water and hope to the people of the Azawak.

In reviewing the blog recently, I noticed that information and photos about the amazing success of the first Amman Imman borehole was not that easy to find. Yet this important accomplishment must be appreciated and celebrated! As a Montessori community, we have been part of a movement to save and improve lives, and the first phase of that was accomplished last year with the completion of the Amman Imman borehole in Tangarwashane. Please view the pictorial story and imagine the possibility of how lives in the Azawak will continue to change: Changing lives one borehole at a time. (Hint: share this posting with your students. It tells a beautiful story.)

We see possibility and hope everyday in the hands and hearts of our students. Now we are also witnessing their hands and hearts taking action for humanity. Rather than just being charitable, students are learning that philanthropy is an action of love for the benefit of our fellow humans. Read about it in Everyday Activism Inspires Philanthropy.

More stories from schools:
* News from Harbor Montessori School in Gig Harbor Washington. An article in their online news correlates the Amman Imman project with the lessons inherent in a Montessori education. Read the post at A Global Education: Amman Imman Project Teaches Universal Values.

* At Dayspring Academy in Catabwa, South Carolina, a summertime homework assignment on the Azawak forms the basis for their international outreach project for the year: Dayspring Academy's International Outreach Project

* Read about Mary Beth Sullivan's class at Island Village Montessori in Venice, Florida. They have incorporated the Amman Imman project into a special cross-cultural and collaborative research project that is very cool: Island Village Montessori: Collaborative Research.

Inspired by the students around the world who are banding together to build a Well of Love, Oneness-Family School director Andrew Kutt wrote May The Water Flow (for the people of the Azawak) dedicating it to Ariane Kirtley, the students and the people of the Azawak. Hear the song and view the pictures on the blog or at this link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp_knvG6JRc.

Please continue to keep in touch, share your stories and ideas, and make possibility come alive!

In gratitude,
Debbie

**************
Debra Kahn
Associate Director, Oneness-Family School
6701 Wisconsin Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
www.onenessfamilyschool.org

Program Amman Imman websites:
www.waterforniger.org
montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com
www.montessoriammanimmanproject.org

You may wonder how life in the Azawak would change if the 500,000 people who live there had access to water. Let's explore...how is life different for the people in Tangarwashane now that they have a working borehole?

Before the Amman Imman borehole was constructed, the people of Tangarwashane, like other people in the Azawak, traveled to a marsh for their water.

Now they get water by turning on a faucet.

Previously, when the marsh dried up, they traveled long distances to deep wells in search of water.

Now, they have a water tower in their village containing 20,000 liters of water.

At the deep wells, they relied on donkeys to pull up water from depths as much as 300 feet and more (Do you see the donkeys? Notice the distance they have to pull).

It took tremendous strength,
donkeys would collapse from exhaustion,

the wells often were dry, or there was not much water in them.

Frequently, people descended to the bottom of the well to dig it deeper in hopes of reaching water. This is very dangerous because the well could cave in. Often there was still no water .

Now, the people in Tangarwashane and the nomads traveling through simply have to turn on a faucet.

Before, they collected the contaminated well water,

and shared it with their animals.

Now, they turn on a valve for clean and pure water.

Before, there was not much water for the animals either

Now the animals who come through Tangarwashane have plenty of water,

and drink it from their own troughs, separate from the people.

No longer do the people in Tangarwashane drink water as dark as hot chocolate,
bathe in contaminated marsh water,

or travel long distances to find water.

Now that the children don't have to spend all their time traveling for water, perhaps they can attend school. (a school is under construction in this photo).

With clean pure water to drink and bathe with, their health is improving. Their families are starting to grow sustenance crops and the livestock herds are increasing, providing more milk.

The situation that you see depicted in these photos continues to be a reality for the people of the Azawak. We need your help! Many more boreholes are needed to meet the needs of the 500,000 people of the Azawak.

Please join our effort to save and improve the lives of the people of the Azawak by joining Amman Imman. Contact debbie@ammanimman.org for more information on how you can help.

Please donate now at http://www.waterforniger.org/page/donate/main/. Your dollars will go directly toward saving and improving the lives of the people of the Azawak.

(photos courtesy of Ariane Kirtley and the Amman Imman team)