May 18, 2009

Dear Friends of the Azawak,

I am relieved to report that my dear husband Denis has finally returned from Niger after spending the last month working with our local team in Niger. Fassely and I had to return home early due to the unbearable heat and a dangerous meningitis outbreak. Denis remained behind to finish up all the last minute work for Amman Imman in the field. Several positive developments took place over this past month in Niger...Read the rest of Ariane's update on the Amman Imman website or on the Amman Imman blog

The Amman Imman field team: Moumine -- local representative , Denis -- Niger Program Coordinator, Amamatou and Jalal -- field agents

Amamatou and Jalal training Tangarwashane Management Committee vice president, Yacoubou, and treasurer, Raichatou how to maintain financial records

Amman Imman field agent, Amamatou, speaks to women in a camp near Tangarwashane about the borehole, as well as hygiene and sanitation

Moumine, Denis, Amamatou, and Jalal in frount of the Tchinwagari water tower

On behalf of Amman Imman, I’d like to thank everyone from the Barrie, Oneness and Aidan school communities for their support and participation during A Walk For Water. While we are still in the process of calculating the total amount of money raised for the next borehole, we know that everyone enjoyed a beautiful hike in the woods. For many, A Walk for Water at Lake Frank has become a yearly tradition, an event through which families experience what it means to take action together and make a difference in the world.
I heard many stories that day that made me realize how important Amman Imman’s work in the Azawak has become here in America for the students and families who have become our ardent supporters.

For three years, Ryan has participated in A Walk for Water. For his family, cultivating values of service in their children are very important. Every year with his parent’s support, Ryan approaches his friends and neighbors to sponsor his three-mile walk. Although he feels a little shy about asking, he has gotten better and better at explaining the water crisis and how his school’s involvement in the Amman Imman project has changed lives in the Azawak. The response from his neighbors, when they give a donation every year, builds his confidence.

Rose’s mom told me that her daughter makes discerning choices on how to spend her allowance money. She will often choose not to buy a toy or gadget saying, I don’t really need that. Yet, when it came time for A Walk for Water, Rose insisted on contributing $100 of her own savings to Amman Imman. (Please note, I have not used Rose’s real name because she wanted to make this donation anonymously, rather than bring attention to herself.)

Five-year-old twins Kieran and Callum attended A Walk for Water for the 2nd year. Their mom, Christine, a teacher at Oneness-Family School, took her time walking the trail with the boys, their friend Josh, and 11 year old husky dog Colby. For the boys (and for their mom keeping them on the trail!), it was a great achievement to complete these three miles. Christine and her family, including 19 year old Sophie, middle schooler Sebi, and the twins, have made A Walk for Water and raising funds for the children of the Azawak a special event for their family. Even the five year olds ask their neighbors for money to help the “Aaazawaak” .

Of the seven people who sponsored Wynne’s Walk for Water this year, her own contribution provided her largest sponsorship. Each year Wynne chooses a charity to donate a portion of her allowance. This year she chose Amman Imman because “everyone deserves to have water”. According to the number of sponsorships she collected, Wynne qualifies to receive an incentive prize. However, she says that even if prizes were not offered she still would have approached the same sponsors and asked them for a donation.

At the rally, I spoke about the importance and magnitude of everyone’s effort just to be there, and how whether they knew it or not, every one of their contributions, no matter how small, does count. As I learn about fundraising, I’ve discovered that most of the good that is done in the world is not funded by foundations or large corporations, but rather by individuals like you and me who care. I think this is a tremendous insight that brings credence to the adage “You can make a difference”. We have this example in our own country as President Barack Obama funded his election through contributions from average Americans. When we work together, we can really and truly make the world a better place. While bringing life and hope to the Azawak by building boreholes, we also bring life and hope to our own communities and children.

The wonderful day we had this past Saturday would not have been possible without our volunteers, walkers and their sponsors: teachers, family members, friends, and students from the three schools that came together at Lake Frank, and those who participated through sponsorships. Thank You!

May 9, 2009: Congratulations to Boyd School students and families for raising $680 in their first annual A Walk For Water! View photos of their event on Facebook: Boyd School students come together for A Walk For Water

May 16, 2009: The 3rd annual A Walk For Water brought over 100 people to Lake Frank for Amman Imman's project in the Azawak. Students and families from the Barrie School, Aidan Montessori and the Oneness-Family School enjoyed the 3 mile hike around Lake Frank. Take a look at the photos on Facebook: Students Walk Around Lake Frank: Many People, One Voice

We thank our friends at the following local Maryland businesses who are donating products for A Walk For Water.

Your contributions inspire our children and families to rally their friends and neighbors to sponsor their Walk.
Each step we take together will bring
the children of the Azawak
one step closer to having water.

Signs by Tomorrow is donating our banner for the 2nd year!

Honest Tea has provided drinks for kids and adults for three years straight!

Mom's Organic Market is donating great organic snacks for the 3rd straight year!

And welcome to our newest sponsor, Ize's Deli and Bagelry!
We look forward to sharing your delicious bagels with all our Walkers!

Thank You For Making A Different and Serving With Us!

On May 9, 2009, students and their families from the Boyd School of Virginia came together in A Walk for Water. A Walk for Water is a yearly event that gives students a chance to work together in solidarity for the people of the Azawak who walk as much as 30 miles in a day in search of water. The students raised close to $700 for Amman Imman: Water is Life, whose mission is to build borehole wells and provide water, thereby improving and saving lives.

Students and their families gather at Elanor Lawrence Park in Chantilly, Virginia.

The student get the banner ready.

Everyone gathers for the rally, and a photo.

The Walk begins.

A beautiful path through the woods lies ahead. Students can enjoy nature with their family and friends while making a strong statement together in supprt of the people of the Azawak.

Many thanks to middle school teacher Rodney Berthold and head of school MaryAnn Boyd for supporting their students and the people of the Azawak.

Together, we can make a difference!

From Voice of the Town: read the original article here at triblocal.com

Montessori of Maryknoll Bake/Plant Sale

By: patbates
05/07/09 04:07 PM

Montessori of Maryknoll Students supporting the Water is Life Project

Montessori of Maryknoll held their annual bake and plant sale on Tuesday, May 5th. The Kindergarten Enrichment class sponsors this event every year to coincide with their study of Africa. The event benefits the Amman-Imman or Water is Life project, which drills boreholes for building wells in Niger, Africa. Montessori schools across the country are participating in this event. Our students understand that they are helping to provide clean water to a desert area that is in desperate need. The students baked both at home and at school and also grew tomato, basil and coleus plants in class for the sale. The sale this year made $233 but when combined with other students at other schools that are helping also, the students felt a great sense of empowerment. The realization by our preschoolers and kindergarteners of the great need in other parts of the world and empowering them to act on it at a young age is what Maria Montessori referred to as "Cosmic Education".

Contact info: Pat Bates (630)858-8583

- special contribution to the blog by Ariane Kirtley, Amman Imman founder and director
The international non-profit organization, IRD recently began working in the Abalak region of the Azawak. The organization has chosen Tangarwashane as one of the villages where it will intervene. Its first project is to reforest the area around the borehole and protect the land as more and more people and animals come to use the borehole. It has already begun planting 500,000 trees, and has set up a management committee to ensure that the program succeeds.

One of our goals when bringing water is to inspire other organizations to provide other desperately needed help. Since we built the Tangarwashane borehole, a functional school has been built, adult classes are being held for men and women, and now environmental measures are being established. I feel certain that little by little health, agriculture, and livestock programs will also come to Tangarwashane, and eventually aid will sprout and spread throughout the Azawak thereby helping communities to flourish in all the land.

special contribution to the blog by Laurel Lundstrom

Students at the Oneness-Family School, in Chevy Chase, Md., jumped rope, shot hoops, dribbled basketballs and did jumping jacks to raise money for some of the poorest kids in the world.

Taking its name from the organization it benefits, this “Amman-a-thon,” will donate proceeds to a grassroots water project called Amman Imman. Through a partnership with the Oneness-Family School and more than 40 other Montessori schools around the world hosting similar events, the organization drills borehole wells in an extremely impoverished region called the Azawak Valley of West Africa. The Azawak stretches throughout northern Niger and southern Mali and is near barren due to a prolonged drought.

Students at the Oneness-Family School shoot basketballs in the Amman-a-thon.

Each jump, basket or dribble yields a pledge to the project. Students were responsible for finding donors to sponsor them to do two of the aforementioned activities.

“The kids want to save the world,” said Madhavi Ray, the first through third grade teacher at the school who created the project last year for her students and attributes the idea to the children.
After brainstorming ideas with her class, the Amman-a-thon was born. More than 30 students participated in this second annual event, which is intended to promote an interest in physical education, as well as philanthropy.

Madhavi Ray, 1st-3rd grade teacher, talks with Laurel Lundstrom

The children practiced their skills for more than a month prior to the contest, said Ray.

The event is reflective of the school’s Manifestation Program, which combines community service with world outreach, said Debbie Kahn, the Oneness Family School’s associate director.

“It really enhances the mission of the school,” said Kahn.

“It was good to be helping people in a place where they have water problems,” said second-grader Elya Baker. “Here, we go to a machine or a water fountain for water, but there they (in the Azawak) have to go for a long time.”

Benjamin Keeler, another second-grader who shot baskets and did jumping jacks, says the money he raised will go to drill another borehole well for people in the Azawak.

The project drilled its first borehole -- which brings a clean, sustainable source of water to 25,000 people and their animals -- more than a year and a half ago.

Drilling borehole wells is important, said Keeler, “because they might get sick and die when they drink dirty water.”

Students jumping rope. Another student counts the number of jumps accomplished in 5 minutes.

The Amman-a-thon follows the Friendship Bracelet Exchange with children in the Azawak. The Exchange, led by Kahn, allowed students in the United States to trade hand-made bracelets, photos and cards with children in the Azawak.

“Anytime you find a way to inspire a child to help another child, you keep it,” said Ray, Baker’s teacher.

The students at the Oneness Family School will continue their efforts to bring water to the Azawak Valley, May 16, when they participate in a Walk for Water around Lake Frank, in Derwood, Md. The school hopes to surpass the $12,000 the Walk raised last year for Amman Imman.

Elya Baker says she did not get to attend the Walk last year, but hopes to this year. “I am begging my mom to let me go.”

Jumping jacks are another activity in the Amman-a-thon.

Sometimes when you are doing too much, you don’t do anything very well. But occasionally a gift is bestowed on you, kind of like a message from the universe, that reminds you why you do what you do, thereby encouraging you to give your heart and your best. Such a gift was given to me today.

As you know, I've been working with schools and kids in partnership with Amman Imman to foster awareness of the conditions in the Azawak and to empower kids to make a difference by raising money for boreholes. Honestly, although I do many things for Amman Imman, this is the most inspiring thing I do! I would like to share the experience I had at the community meeting at our school today.

Today the Oneness-Family School community meeting highlighted A Walk For Water and the Ammanathon Drive, special yearly events for Amman Imman in which the entire school gets involved. I showed a short slide show highlighting the different Walk for Waters that have been held locally, nationally and globally, and the Amman-athon that our students started last year, as well as photos of children from places we visited in the Azawak. The theme of the community meeting was, “We Care and We Can Help".

I asked the students, “Why are we doing this? Is it to win the incentive prizes, like a water bottle if you get 7 sponsors?”

No, we do this because WE CARE and WE CAN HELP.

We care about children like Hassi, who lives in Tangarwashane. We want her to continue learning French and other subjects in the village school, built after the Amman Imman borehole brought water, rather than have to spend her time searching for water.

Hassi

We want Raichatou to get the health care she needs so that
eventually she will be able to walk again.

Raichatou

We want girls like Hadiza from Akoubounou to stay in school, to be able to get an education and so that she can be a strong contributor to her community.

Hadiza

We want to bring water to the children of Kijigari so their garden can continue to grow and provide nutritious vegetables so they can grow up strong and healthy.

Why? Because WE CARE, and WE CAN HELP.

For every spin of a hula hoop, basketball shot, and jumping jack jumped in the Ammanathon, the children of the Oneness-Family School are bringing the dreams and hopes of the people of the Azawak alive. For every mile that a student walks in A Walk For Water, for every $15 sponsorship, they are opening up a chance for a child to get an education. They walk, skip, hop and hula for children like baby Obama, born in Kijigari on the American election day, to drink clean water, so he can grow up healthy and strong and be a leader in his community…why? Because WE CARE and WE CAN HELP.

Baby Obama, born November 4, 2008

After the slide show, the 6-9 year old children demonstrated their skills that they are going to use in the Ammanathon next week. Altogether, we counted jumping jacks, hula spins, etc. and multiplying the final number by 5 cents, 10 cents. The demonstration provided a concrete example for our younger students, ages 3 -6, of how practice adds up to something. I heard a story from the parent of 7 year old Eliot, who previously could barely jump rope. Because he wanted to jump as many jumps as possible to raise as much money as possible, he now has the skills to jump 26 times without stopping. If Eliot jumps 26 times, 10 times over in the 5 minute time slot, and each jump is worth 5 cents, and he gets 10 sponsors, he has the potential of raising $130! The effect of that practice has gone beyond Eliot and the school yard and right into the rural and remote Azawak.

Should she be drinking muddy water?

The potential here is greater than raising money. We are raising kids. We are raising kids to understand that their effort impacts the world, that what they do, even if they can do only a little, goes a long way. If we instill that in them at 8 years old, think about what they will be able to do when they are 16, and what they will continue to do at age 32! But it doesn't end there...we are also giving a chance for children in the Azawak to reach their potential, and their dreams.

clean water from the Tangarwashane borehole

So, this is the best part of my Oneness-Family job and my Amman Imman job. And while I will be leaving my position at the Oneness Family School, my dream is to continue working on a national and global level, to help kids reach their potential as agents for change, to connect kids to their compassion and caring, and help them understand that they can make a difference. I intend to do this by giving them the opportunity to help Amman Imman bring water to the Azawak.

What a difference kids, both here and in the Azawak, can make for themselves. We not only want kids in America to have that opportunity, we also want kids in the Azawak to have the opportunity to make a difference in their community and their world.