NEWSLETTER SPRING 2016
Explore Lifewater’s
Vision of a Healthy Village
Find out how your gifts are impacting vulnerable children and families
Your Impact
over the last 12 months*
people with access to safe water
Revenue
LIFEWATER
Financial Snapshot
# of new water points constructed
2014
$2,273,487
2015
$2,713,463
# water points rehabilitated
Expenses
19%
2014
$2,242,088
2015
$2,649,542
Increased giving allows us to serve more people, more effectively. We want you to see this financial snapshot in each quarterly newsletter, because this work would not happen without you.
18% *All figures are through December 2015
Lifewater International is a
General Manager
Stay Connected
Christian non-profit organization dedicated to effectively serving vulnerable children and families by partnering with underserved communities to overcome water poverty.
Shaun Russell Shaun@Lifewater.org
75 Zaca Lane Suite 100/110 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Vice President of Philanthropy Christine Zurbach Christine@Lifewater.org
888 LIFE H2O Info@Lifewater.org Lifewater.org LifewaterInternational
Leave a Legacy. To speak with someone about including Lifewater in your will or bequests, contact Shaun Russell. Shaun@Lifewater.org
President/CEO
@Lifewater
Justin Narducci CEO@Lifewater.org
@LifewaterInternational
Photography by David Uttley, The Halle Project, and Wonderkind Studios. Paper donated by Mohawk Fine Papers.
One Village at a Time It’s easy to throw our hands up in the air after just one glance at the latest news feeds: instability and terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa, the Syrian refugee crisis, and our own watercrises in Flint, Michigan and California. There is simply too much to do and we wonder whether we can really make a difference. While we may not be able to right every wrong in the world, the truth is that we can actually have a significant impact on ending the global water crisis that takes the lives of 1,600 children every single day—but
We designed this strategy based on all of the lessons learned from 40 years of implementing water projects and from best practices that have emerged in our work. The operating assumption we are making is
entire communities to bring lasting change! While we may not be able to right every wrong in the world, we can make a significant difference in the lives of our world’s most vulnerable people—one village
we must be committed to doing so one village at a time.
that lasting transformation is more likely to occur when all people in a community are engaged and inspired to participate in the change process. When this happens, what you see are Healthy Children and Thriving Villages.
at a time.
In this edition of our newsletter, you will be introduced to Lifewater’s Vision of a Healthy Village (VHV) for the very first time. The VHV is a program approach that we are actively rolling out in each and every village we serve moving forward. The purpose of our VHV is for Lifewater staff to walk alongside families, leaders, and churches in overcoming water poverty by living in a healthy relationship with God and the environment.
I realize that how all of this work plays out is complex, and so I encourage you to spend some time on the illustrated pages that follow. I think these pages will help bring the vision to life as you see how we walk alongside schools, churches, governments, households, and
Glad to serve with you,
Justin Narducci
President/CEO
P.S. This summer we will be incorporating our VHV into an interactive component on our website and you will be able to see the changes households are making through our real-time data monitoring system!
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The purpose of Vision of a Healthy Village is to walk alongside families, leaders, and churches in overcoming all forms of water poverty by living in a healthy relationship with God and the environment.
A clean place high off the ground to dry and disinfect dishes in the sun, away from animals and garbage.
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HANDWASHING DEVICE A device made from locally available materials that uses a small amount of water, with soap or ash attached.
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*Program activities and progress toward achieving these objectives are monitored at the household and community levels in real-time using an electronic data system.
DRYING RACK
LATRINE A clean and dignifying place to go to the bathroom, made from local materials that every family can afford.
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SAFE WATER STORAGE
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WATER SOURCE
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We provide a community with a safe water source that is managed and maintained by a local water committee.
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WATER COMMITTEE A group of local leaders that maintains and manages the new water source. The committee saves water user fees for repairs.
HEALTH PROMOTERS
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Community members trained by Lifewater national staff to share health messages at each household.*
Households store their water safely in clean and covered containers.
LOCAL CHURCH
A safe water source at the school so students can stay in school, be healthy, and learn.
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SCHOOL LATRINE A safe and clean place for students and teachers to go to the bathroom. School latrines encourage attendance, especially for girls.
SCHOOL HEALTH CLUBS In addition to safe water and latrines, local schools have WASH clubs that encourage students to practice healthy behaviors.
We walk alongside the local church to bring physical and spiritual healing and well-being to remote, underreached communities.
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SCHOOL WATER SOURCE
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT Leaders are committed to the program and provide support.
Lifewater Ethiopia staff member Duke enters survey data into her smartphone as a family shares with her about their hygiene habits.
Real-Time Change in West Arsi Last month in West Arsi, Ethiopia a young woman named Biftu did something that she had never done before—she built her family a latrine. It has a good roof, walls, and a sturdy floor. “I’m ready to help others and am already discussing it with them and training them.” As you read about in Lifewater’s Vision of a Healthy Village (VHV), a safe latrine plays a big role in overcoming water poverty. And thanks to your generosity, Biftu and the others she is helping are taking the first steps towards becoming a healthy village! Biftu (pictured on the right with her latrine) is one of the many who are a part of Lifewater’s new program in West Arsi, Ethiopia. Over the next three years Lifewater will walk alongside an estimated 45,000 people in this area to serve them with safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Using the VHV strategy, families will initiate improved hygiene habits in their home and form water committees to steward their water sources.
These changes come to West Arsi at a critical time, since many families are suffering. In a baseline survey conducted a few months ago, nearly 15% of the children under 5 are suffering from diarrhea at any given time. Over 75% of the population does not have access to safe water and only 1% have a latrine that offers dignity and privacy. One mother told us, “Do you know how much mothers love their kids? It is extremely painful for us to see our kids get sick. We prefer we get sick instead of our children. We always wish our children to be healthy.” Lifewater staff will be visiting each household, teaching about tools and habits that will help to prevent these illnesses. School attendance will increase and water access will improve household incomes and productivity as well. As progress is made, it is monitored at the household and community levels in real-time by Lifewater Staff (pictured above). We look forward to sharing with you the impact your gifts are having in families lives. Thank you for giving generously.
“I was hooked” a Lifewater Volunteer’s Story
When you give $40 every month,
Inspired by Sally Scholl Teacher, mother, grandmother, Lifewater volunteer and donor
you serve 12 people with water, sanitation, and hygiene each year! Become a monthly donor today.
lifewater.org/water-hero After 50 years, Sally Scholl is still a teacher. It was her profession for decades, teaching in an elementary school in northern California, but it’s more than that. It’s her calling. Her infectious enthusiasm, tenacity, and unwavering sense of purpose led her to serve vulnerable communities around the world with her gift. After retiring, Sally entered the Peace Corps and taught in Kenya for two years. Today, she volunteers with Lifewater, and has worked to provide training in safe water, sanitation, and hygiene to teachers, community leaders, and religious leaders in Africa and Asia. Her country count is extensive, including Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, China, and Cambodia. She has found open minds and hearts wherever she teaches. “The people are hungry for knowledge,” Sally says. Sally was drawn to the mission of Lifewater when she first attended a gathering of Lifewater staff and volunteers. “I was hooked,” she admits. “They put me on a trip right away, and it was a survey trip to Ethiopia. Ever since then, I have
been going on one or two trips a year, which has been fascinating and terribly rewarding.” As an active member of her local church, Valley Christian Center (VCC) in Dublin, CA, Sally advocated for her church to partner with Lifewater through their missions program which has a strategic focus on vulnerable children and clean water. A partnership was formed and after receiving training from Lifewater, VCC sent a team to Ethiopia to train in hygiene and will be sending a team this fall to train Lifewater field staff in Cambodia in Lifewater’s WASH in Schools curriculum. “It was like a dream come true.” Sally added, “For years I had longed to get my church connected with Lifewater and now to see us serving together and seeing the kids and teachers here do fundraisers for kids and schools over there. It’s just amazing!” Sally recently returned from her 21st trip with Lifewater and has no plans of slowing down. “There’s so much work to do! As long as they need me, I’ll keep going.”
Kaliro, Uganda Families in Kaliro, Uganda have an urgent need for clean water. Help today!
Join us in bringing the children of Kaliro safe water today.
give.lifewater.org/kaliro
Attend a Lifewater Event in Your Area Learn more and RSVP today at lifewater.org/events
L I F E W AT E R G AT H E R I N G S We’d love to meet you in person. Come and support the cause, meet Lifewater staff, and network with other friends of Lifewater. Together we can turn wine to water!
MAY 21 • 3-5 PM
JUNE 4 • 3-5 PM
JULY 23 • 5-7 PM
ArtBeat on Main Street San Diego, CA
The Portal Santa Ana, CA
Blackberry Market Glen Ellyn, IL
lifewater.org/san-diego
lifewater.org/santa-ana
lifewater.org/chicago
AUG 20 • 1:30-3:30 PM
U P C O M I N G L I F E W AT E R G AT H E R I N G S
91 Wood Fired Oven Canton, OH
AUG • SF Bay Area, CA SEPT • Indianapolis, IN SEPT • Denver, CO
lifewater.org/canton
OCT • Kalamazoo, MI NOV • Phoenix, AZ
L I F E W AT E R B B Q Join us for an amazing evening featuring Santa Maria style barbeque, live music, and a silent auction to support the ministry of Lifewater.
OCTOBER 15 • 5-9 PM Barrelhouse Brewery Paso Robles, CA
Reserve your table today! lifewater.org/bbq
OTHER EVENTS Connect over coffee with one of our staff members at these upcoming conferences. See other event details at lifewater.org/events.
JULY 12–15
OCTOBER 24–28
NOVEMBER 17–20
North American Christian Convention Anaheim, CA
Accord Network WASH Summit Glen Erie, CO
International Conference on Missions Lexington, KY