Photos by Sabina Bagazonzya (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skcphoto/), Bernard Van Leer and others

Lake Frank provided a beautiful setting for A Walk for Water.  A little drizzle of rain ....

photo by Bernard Van Leer

.... reminded us that Water is Life.

As people arrived they checked in, received their t-shirt and took some refreshment.

photo by Sabina Bagazonzya

A beautiful place to gather and meet friends....

photo by Bernard Van Leer

...of all kinds.

photo by Sabina Bagazonzya

Students introduced themselves to Aichatou Bety,  our special guest from Niger.

photo by Bernard Van Leer

At the rally before the Walk, I read a message from Ariane. "Walk and see life sprouting at your feet", she said.
(Read her entire message here)

photo by Bernard Van Leer

Everyone listened, remembering why we were here.

photo by Bernard Van Leer

Aichatou explained that "Water is the basis for all development".   She told us that by helping Amman Imman we  are directly responding to the needs expressed by people in the Azawak.
(Listen to her speech here)

"Providing water to a nomad is providing everything", she told us.

photo by Bernard Van Leer

We took several group photos...

...and then began our Walk.

photo by Sabina Bagazonzya

We understood that we walked because children in the Azawak....

....have to walk 30 miles in a day to find water.
They might bring home a little mud water to their thirsty families....

photo by Bernard Van Leer

...while we live with an abundance of resources all around us.

photo by Sabina Bagazonzya

After the walk, Aicha shared some jewelry with us.

photo by Sabina Bagazonzya

Our Heroes of Compassion received their certificates.
"By walking today, you are helping to build a future of hope
 for the children and families living in the Azawak of West Africa.
Keep sharing your compassion with the world!"

photo by Sabina Bagazonzya

Love and hope were shared for each other, and for the people of the Azawak.

Aichatou Bety lives in Niamey, Niger and works as an educator for Catholic Relief Services. A long-time friend of Amman Imman, Aicha was in the United States for a conference through her work at the same time A Walk for Water at Lake Frank was taking place. It was our blessing that she was able to be with us at AWFW and speak at the rally.



Highlights from Aicha's speech:

"Think about something that is really important in your life. Something that today if you miss it, you feel like you are not existing. Water in the Azawak, in the desert, is like this. Providing water to a nomad, is providing everything."

"Water is the basis for development. There is an NGO that built a school last year. They really built a nice school. But until now no one is in the school. Do you know why? Because there is no water. How can you build a school in a nomadic area without water? When the school was being built, the enterprise who got the contract brought water from far away to build the school. But after having the school, you also need to provide water for the community. Because if nomadic people are always traveling to look for water, how can you have people in your school? "

"What you are doing is really responding to the need of people from Azawak. This project really expresses the need. The people expressed their need and you accept this need and you decided to help.... Alot of projects fail because they don't respond to the need of people. I am convinced that you bring the hope. With this water, you are going to bring life, help them develop alot of skills."

"I want to thank all of you. Especially children. The involvement of children is very strong. You know why I say this? Children are the future. By starting now and helping the people of the Azawak, these children will continue to help. And even their children will continue."

On Saturday, May 14, about 100 people came to Lake Frank to go on A Walk for Water. Cloudy skies brought a little bit of drizzle, reminding us how fortunate we are to have rain. During the rally, I read a message from Ariane who is currently with her family in the Central African Republic.  Here is her letter:

Dearest and devoted friends – students, parents and teachers -- of the Azawak,

How exciting to have you all present at the 5th Walk for Water being held at Lake Frank. As you spend your morning walking in compassion for the children of the Azawak, I sit here in the tropical rainforest of the Central African Republic. I’m impatient to share with you my experiences here with the Bayaka pygmies, also one of the world’s most underserved populations.

What strikes me the most after one month of working here is that no matter how difficult the conditions for the pygmies here are, they are nothing compared to our friends in the Azawak.  Here, the forest provides abundant and delicious food, as well as streams of water to drink from. In the Azawak, our friends are lucky to have one bowl of rice to eat, and of course, one glass of mud to drink in one day. In the Azawak, luscious green forests and rivers filled with fish are replaced by neverending stretches of lifeless sand and dirt.  There, the daily and pleasant rainfall and relatively mild temperatures are replaced by blistering heat and drought. The stark contrast between what I see here and what I’ve witnessed in Niger reminds me just how challenging the conditions in the Azawak are. It also helps me admire and respect my friends in the Azawak all the more, as they struggle to resist and survive despite their most hostile environment.

Thank you for everything you have done for the Azawak over these past several years.  And thank you for your continued devotion.   This trip to the Central African Republic has helped emphasize in my eyes just how desperately our friends in the Azawak need our continued support, not just to build the boreholes and bring water, but also help them have other forms of help – simple things that we take for granted on a daily basis such as proper health care, schools and education, a way to grow and have food… the list goes on!

Thank you! Walk in love and compassion, and with every step you take see life sprout from your feet.

Yours for the children in the Azawak,

Ariane

Around 100 people gathered

May 14, A Walk for Water 

8:30 am - 1:00 pm

at Lake Frank, Derwood, Maryland

There's still time to register! Please click here: Lake Frank A Walk for Water registration.   

Register online before midnight May 12 and get a family discount!  

Understand the importance of water in our lives, and the lives of those who do not have any.

Take A Walk for Water, and show that you care!

Canopies of honeysuckle...so sweet! 

Baby blue flowers

Family of geese and mallard cousins

Where the water flows

Fern forest 

The lake through the trees

A bridge to cross

Fungi tree

Tree without socks

A shady path

Covered bridge

Register online

Yesterday students at The Boyd School did A Walk for Water, with all seven campuses participating in raising funds for the people of the Azawak. Younger students engaged in a fitness Amman-a-thon fundraiser at their school, while older students gathered at a local park to walk 3.25 miles. The students brought the opportunity to their family and friends asking them to sponsor their activity.

Congratulations to these Heroes of Compassion, 

working together to bring water and hope 

to where it is most needed!

A Walk for Water at Lake Frank May 14, Derwood, Maryland Click here to Register!

Dear Friends,

Today, I want to congratulate our Heroes of Compassion at The Boyd School in Virginia!  All seven Boyd School campuses have dedicated this day to the people of the Azawak.  Older students are taking part in A Walk for Water at a local park, while younger students are partcipating in Amman-a-thons at their individual schools.  As of today, Boyd School students have raised close to $2,000 online. Additional funds via checks are being collected at the school.  To see an example of a very cute and creative fundraising page, please click here.  :-)

These actions are to be celebrated! It is a choice that these young people make to serve others rather than themselves.  Encouraged by their teachers, parents and mentors, our young Heroes of Compassion have put into action the initiative required in the world today.  These are young leaders of all ages who are making a difference for some of the most vulnerable people on our planet.   Recently we received a donation from the Robert Goddard Montessori School whose youngest students, ages 3-6, sell bookmarks every year as a fundraiser for the Azawak.   On the other end,  students at Virginia Tech University have been rallying around the cause of the Azawak by staging various fundraisers this spring.  These are just some of the stories to we have to tell.

If you live in the Washington DC area, we hope you will join us at A Walk for Water at Lake Frank on May 14th.  Click here to register and create a fundraising page.   If you prefer paper registration, contact me and I'll send you a form.

Thank you for celebrating with me and giving our young leaders this opportunity to help!  

Gratefully yours,

Debra Kahn

debbie@ammanimman.org

Wells of Love Program Director