Tammy Brennan: A Run for Water Inspired by Children

Tammy will be running in the Army 10 Miler in Wash DC on Oct. 24

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 24, 2010) Tammy Brennan is inspired. As a mother of three school-aged children, she is already committed to putting the needs of others first.  Tirelessly serving as a positive and compassionate role model has extended beyond her own family, as she is also dedicated to saving lives of children in the Azawak Valley of West Africa.  The Azawak is a region in the Republic of Niger devastated by persistent drought that has destroyed the cattle and goat herds of half a million nomads and forced their children to walk up to thirty miles in search of water. 

To fulfill her dream, Tammy is putting on her running shoes and will participate in the Army 10 Miler on October 24 in Washington, D.C.  She is dedicating her run to the children of the Azawak - and to her own children, Mika, Lukas, Alex, and their classmates, who have been raising funds through a service learning program at their school.  

Tammy has reached out to friends and acquaintances, asking them to symbolically join her run, by contributing money to help finance the equipment needed to run the latest borehole-well built by Amman Imman: Water is Life, an organization that has brought water to the Azawak over the past four years, using advanced machinery to drill deep beneath the earth’s surface.

Tammy's goal is to raise at least $5,000 for the families there, contributing significantly to a sustainable livelihood for them. Once there is water, many other opportunities arise -- in the form of schools, health centers, tree planting, etc.  Tammy also hopes her Run for Water will inspire others to get involved.

Children raise funds through their school

"We are so blessed and fortunate that it can become easy to forget about the least of our brothers and sisters," says Tammy. "My goal is to raise $5,000 in order to raise awareness about the water security issues in the Azawak valley and inspire other parents to get their children’s schools involved with the Amman Imman’s service learning program, Wells of Love."

Not that long ago, the Azawak Valley was lush and fertile, with 5-6 months of rainfall.  Over the past decade, the Azawak has become a wasteland that receives only short bouts of erratic rainfall for a month or two each year. The people there have nowhere to go, and water gives them hope for a better tomorrow.

Amman Imman: Water is Life, one of the only organizations working in the area to address the water crisis, recently drilled its second borehole in Kijigari Village.  Tammy’s run will help pay for the remaining costs of the infrastructure, including the pumps, water fountains and animal troughs.  This borehole-well provides clean and abundant water to more than 30,000 people and animals.

Read more about Amman Imman, its efforts in Kijigari Village and how you can support Tammy's run.

Learn about Amman Imman's A Run for Water campaign, and how you can get involved, info@ammanimman.org.