Montessori "Wells of Love"

Dear Teachers and Friends of the Azawak,

As our summer hiatus ends and the school year begins, it's time to unveil new opportunities for our students. That's part of the excitement of the new school year, isn't it? I'm excited to announce that the Montessori Amman Imman project is expanding and growing! We are now officially called "Wells of Love" and join Amman Imman as a program under the nonprofit Friendship Caravan. This change positions us to offer new opportunities for students to realize their potential as change-makers and philanthropists in partnering with Amman Imman: Water is Life and bringing water to the Azawak. And some personal news: after 17 years I have left the Oneness-Family School to dedicate myself as Program Director for "Wells of Love" engaging students as "Heroes of Compassion" in this humanitarian effort.

In the coming weeks you will see some changes on the Montessori Amman Imman blog and on the Amman Imman website. You will have the opportunity to register and download free of charge a "Wells of Love Resource Toolkit" containing:

• Presentation materials
• Display materials, including Amman Imman - A Story
  
• Curriculum resources, maps and lesson plans
• a photo starter pack
  
• A Walk for Water planning guide (read about A Walk For Water here)
  
• Amman-athon planning guide (go here to read about the Amman-athon)
  
• and more!

Meanwhile, I urge you to continue your fundraising efforts and tell your colleagues and friends about this service-learning project! Although times are tough here in America, please remember that for people in impoverished Azawak what we take for granted is sacred and scarce. While we can turn on a tap, people there have to walk as many as 34 miles in a day to find water, and more often than not it is mud. The good news is that Amman Imman is bringing water and life, and therefore hope! The borehole at Tangarwashane now provides pure water to 25,000 people and their animals. And with the support of Montessori students around the world for the last two years, our "Heroes of Compassion", Amman Imman has chosen the village of Kijigari as the site to build a "Montessori Well of Love", dedicated to the students who are helping. We are poised to begin drilling the borehole. However, we cannot complete the construction of the facilities until more funds are raised. So please continue to help! The people of Kijigari, Azawak are still thirsty and we want to bring them water and save their children from dying, as soon as possible.

To catch you up on what's been happening with the project over the last several months, I direct your attention to the following posts on the blog:
(You can read all the blog entries at this link: Montessori Wells of Love and the Amman Imman project)

Some stories from my trip to the Azawak with the Amman Imman team this past spring:
Amman Imman team in Niger works with the women of Tangarwashane, March 16

Pictures and stories about the Friendship Exchange between students in America and children in the Azawak:
The Friendship Exchange, April 12

Some reflections on the project:
We Care and We Can Help, May 1

Recent stories from springtime school fundraising effort to inspire you!
Spruce Pine Montessori Students Sing for Water
Montessori of Maryknoll Student Support Amman Imman: Water is Life
Butterfly Benefit and the Spirit of Service, at the Montessori School of Louisville in Kentucky
Ojai students raise funds to drill water well in Niger village, in the Venture County Star

Ariane Kirtley, Amman Imman's founder and director, has been featured in a new book entitled, "Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own". Teachers, this book contains stories about ordinary heroes and leaders and is a great resource to accompany your service-learning curriculum. Read about it on the blog here: Ariane Kirtley: Changing People's Lives, August 21

And finally, please go to the Amman Imman blog to read Ariane's inspiring update on how things fared in the Azawak upon the team's return from the bush: Partnerships and Progress in the Azawak, May 21

I look forward to continuing our work together, to provide this service-learning opportunity for students, and to make a tangible difference in the lives of the people of the Azawak. I wish each of you a rewarding start to your new school year. Please keep in touch. I would love to hear from you!

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about the new "Wells of Love", please contact me at info@ammanimman.org.

In service,
Debbie Kahn


p.p.s. To support the project, you can click here: Donate to Amman Imman, please designate, "Wells of Love"

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Debra Kahn
Associate Director, Amman Imman: Water is Life
"Bringing Water and Hope to Those Who have None"
www.ammanimman.org
montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com