THE SOURCE L I F E WAT E R N E W S L E T T E R | S P R I N G 2 0 1 7
Boldly Go IN THIS ISSUE: HOW COMMUNITY HYGIENE OPENED NEW DOORS DRILLING WELLS DEEPER THAN EVER BEFORE GETTING DIRTY FOR CLEAN WATER
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L ET T ER F ROM T H E CEO
“Be strong and courageous...the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9
L I F E WAT E R I N T E R NAT IONA L is
Of the more than 663 million people still living without safe water, most live in rural, hard-to-reach places. Places where other nonprofits can’t or won’t go. This is where Lifewater has been called–to boldly go to places like the rocky hill country of southern Ethiopia where people like Ilfnesa
a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to effectively serving vulnerable children and families by partnering with underserved communities to overcome water poverty.
V IC E PR E S I DE N T OF PH I L A N T H ROP Y
Christine Zurbach Christine@Lifewater.org
Harka are in desperate need of safe water. Ilfnesa is a grandmother I met on a recent trip to Ethiopia. Multiple times each day she walks
PR E S I DE N T/C E O
Justin Narducci CEO@Lifewater.org
the four-mile journey to gather two 40-pound cans of water for her grandchildren. Friends, we have the opportunity to forever change life for Ilfnesa and thousands just like her. Lord willing, the firstever Lifewater drill rig will serve more than 100,000 people in Ethiopia with safe water. But it takes partners like you to make it happen.
S TAY C ON N E C T E D
75 Zaca Lane Suite 100/110 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 888 LIFE H2O Info@Lifewater.org Lifewater.org LifewaterInternational
Join me as we step forward in faith, knowing our God is
@Lifewater
with us wherever we go.
@LifewaterInternational
L E AV E A L E G AC Y. To speak with someone about including Lifewater in your will or bequests, contact Christine Zurbach. Christine@Lifewater.org
Justin Narducci President/CEO Lifewater International Photography by David Uttley, Tyler Wohlford and Dunn Photog. Paper donated by Spicers Paper. Printing discounted by O’Neil Printing.
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Impact Update Since the introduction of our Vision of a Healthy Village program, you have helped bring water, health and hope to thousands. Thank you! YOUR HEALTHY VILLAGE IMPACT: PEOPLE REACHED:
81,542
WATER PROJECTS COMPLETED:
114
*All numbers are preliminary through March 31, 2017
ACTIVE WASH FACILITATORS:
HEALTHY HOMES:
596
3,785
LIFEWATER FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT:
*All figures are preliminary for FY2017
FY2016
Increased giving allows us to serve more
FY2017*
people, more effectively. We want you to see this financial snapshot in each quarterly
E X PE NS E S
$2.7 million
$3.7 million
37%
REVENUE
$2.8 million
$3.8 million
36%
newsletter, because this work would not happen without you.
“Before, I fetched water from nearly a mile away and did not have enough time to do other CAMBODIA
work to earn income for my family. Lifewater repaired my broken water well...now I have enough time to work and my daughter Yiv Da’s Water Committee
can go to school every day.” - YIV DA, CAMBODIA
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OPENING DOORS How Community Hygiene Helped Robert’s Family
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YOU CAN TELL FROM HIS HANDS THAT ROBERT IS A CARPENTER: THEY ARE STRONG, WELL-WORN, AND HAVE BANDAGES FROM DAYS OF HARD WORK WITH HAND TOOLS. Robert is from the parish of
pit does not fill up with excess
Kayunga in Uganda, where
water and begin to overflow.
Lifewater recently introduced
The pit cover reduces odor
WASH (water access, sanitation
UGANDA
and hygiene) concepts to the
and helps improve community hygiene by keeping flies from
community. To help create healthy
spreading disease throughout the village.
villages, Lifewater walks alongside
The door is the final piece of the puzzle,
families as they start to make small
and where Robert saw his opportunity, as
health changes—changes that lead to big
carpentry skills were required to make a
health improvements. Each household
durable, functional door.
has a goal of using safe water and storing it safely, using a latrine, washing hands,
Robert builds latrine doors out of
drying dishes safely, and keeping a clean
different materials to help offset the costs;
compound. When a family demonstrates
corrugated metal is the strongest, but he
that it does all these things, it earns a
also cuts and attaches sections of jerry
“Healthy Home” certificate.
cans to fashion doors.
As people began to work toward Healthy
“Becoming a Healthy Home and a
Homes and better community hygiene,
Healthy Village has increased my
Robert saw an opportunity to use his
business because everyone is in need of
skills to both provide for his family and
doors and they are on a high demand,”
help his community move toward better
says Robert. “People want to fulfill the
health together.
requirements of a Healthy Home, and the latrine must have a door...people keep
One of the main elements of a healthy
coming saying, ‘Make for me!’”
home is a “pit latrine,” outhouses that use little to no water. In order for a latrine to be healthy, it needs a pit cover, a roof and a door. The roof is not only for privacy,
STAY UP TO DATE ON THE WORK IN KALIRO BY VISITING LIFEWATER.ORG/KALIRO
but also for when it rains; that way the
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Drilling Deep Wells Achieving a bold goal requires bold moves.
Lifewater is committed to bringing an end
We are taking the bold step of designing
to the world’s water crisis, helping the 663
and shipping a deep well drill rig. Our
million people still living without safe water.
founder, Bill Ashe, was a pioneer, and this ETHIOPIA
As we get closer to this goal, the work
attribute is in our DNA. The rig will have two primary components: a compressor
becomes more difficult. Lifewater has always served
and a trailer mounted Simco 2800 mud and air
the poor in the remote, rural areas of the world, and
rotary drill rig, towed to remote communities by
now most of those still without water live in even
two 4x4 vehicles. To honor his fearless and selfless
more remote places.
legacy, we’ve named it “Bill the Drill.”
For people like Ilfnesa, a grandmother in Bensa, Ethiopia, access to safe water is a daily struggle.
We are committed to reaching the unreached, and to do that, we need to bring the tools that work. Our goal is to ship the deep well drill rig this summer and begin drilling in the fall.
Ilfnesa walks about four miles round trip to gather two 40-pound jerry cans of water for her grandchildren. She makes this two-hour journey multiple times throughout her day. In the rocky, dry areas of southern Ethiopia, hand-
Recently, Lifewater celebrated 40 years of serving the poorest of the poor in remote, rural areas. What was once a dream is now our goal: for every child to have access to safe water. This drill rig is the next step in achieving that future. Will you dig deep with us?
dug wells and protected springs are often not sufficient. A deep well is the only way to provide safe, clean water for Ifnesa and her family.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DRILL RIG FOR ETHIOPIA AT GIVE.LIFEWATER.ORG/DRILL-RIG
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Getting Dirty for Clean Water Since 2012, the Kalamazoo Mud Run has served nearly 3,000 in Uganda with safe water.
For the past few years, the Kalamazoo Mud
event coordinator Donn Raseman.
Run has inspired and entertained thousands
“Lifewater shared our vision, and
of people with its challenging course full of
partnering together just made sense.”
mud-licious obstacles.
UGANDA
Raseman visited Uganda this year as a More importantly, those dirt-soaked athletes,
well was being completed in Kaliro.
along with race organizers, volunteers, and sponsors, have helped thousands of people get safe, clean
“It was the end of the day and we were not expecting
drinking water.
the reception we received, singing and dancing near the new well,” says Donn.
The Mud Run requires athletes (and aspiring athletes) to make their way through 44 acres of woods, including 20 obstacles to climb, crawl, roll, and swing through along with copious amounts
“They were so happy and grateful to the Lifewater team and Mud Run for the work being done.”
of mud. Participants often run in teams and raise money from friends and family for the cause,
Many thanks to the Kalamazoo Mud Run’s
adopting the Mud Run’s mission to “Get Dirty for
organizers, sponsors, volunteers, participants,
Clean Water.”
and cheerleaders for doing the dirty work for clean water!
“We wanted to create a fun, unique experience that would not just provide funds for clean water, but would help empower people worldwide to make
WANT TO HOST A SPECIAL EVENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY? CONTACT US TODAY TO LEARN MORE.
lasting health changes for their community,” says
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Join us at an event Our 2017 events are focused on providing safe water and sanitation for schoolchildren in Ethiopia. Sixteen schools in the Bensa region need toilets and a clean water source. Find an event near you at lifewater.org/events.
L I F E WAT E R G AT H E R I N G S S A N DI E G O, C A M AY 6 • 3PM Wine Steals Cardiff
N E W BE RG , OR J U N E 2 5 • 3PM De Lancellotti Vineyards
OR A NGE C OU N T Y, C A M AY 7 • 2 PM The Lost Vine
DE N V E R , C O AUGUS T 2 6 • 3PM Appaloosa Grill
SE AT T L E , WA J U N E 2 4 • 3PM Patterson Cellars
For a full list of events, visit lifewater.org/events.
FU N DR A ISER & SI LENT AUC TION
OCTOB E R 1 • 4PM Barrelhouse Brewery and Beer Garden Paso Robles, CA
R E SE RV E YOU R TA BL E T ODAY ! Lifewater.org/BBQ
She needs your help. A child dies from water-borne illness every 60 seconds.
1O Days to Reach 1O,OOO
But for just $40, you can transform one life every month. Twelve months, twelve lives changed forever. Become a Water Hero at lifewater.org/monthly
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This fall, the Wheels4Water team will ride over 3,000 miles across the country in 10 days. The goal: raise $200,000 to bring safe water to Uganda. Follow their adventure online at wheels4water.org.
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