Ariane Kirtley spreads Amman Imman's message

Ariane Kirtley, Amman Imman's founder and director, has been in the United States since late August.  She's been working with the Amman Imman team here in America to expand fundraising operations. She's  also been gathering support by meeting with various people and organizations in order to bring attention to the crucial environmental and human crises facing the Azawak. Her main goals for this visit have been to establish the Wells of Love program here in America and to make valuable connections in order to raise funds.  Her objective is to construct the next borehole in the village of Kijigari as soon as possible.  The dry season has already begun in the Azawak.  The marshes will soon dry up and the people of Kijigari are waiting for water.

Here are some of the latest developments: 

• Ariane met actress and humanitarian activist Mia Farrow at the Leon H. Sullivan Honors held in August at the Kennedy Center.   Mia expressed concern about the children and families living in the Azawak who are dying of thirst without access to water.  Today, Mia wrote about Ariane on her blog, http://www.miafarrow.org/.
  

• Air America Radio has become Amman Imman's newest sponsors.  Jack Rice, journalist and talk show host, interviewed Ariane last week. The interview was aired on his show and posted on YouTube and various other sites.  Read more about this heartfelt exchange and watch the videos on the Amman Imman blog.
  

• Montel Williams, veteran tv personality and Air America talk show host, spoke with Ariane on his show yesterday which took place at the Health and Fitness Expo for the Marine Core Marathon.  Montel said, "What do we have to do to make people in America understand, that no matter how bad it is for us, there are still people that are worse and we still need to do our part because to whom much is given much is expected."  Montel has offered to continue his support.

Listen to Ariane's exchange with Montel Williams at this link: 
Montel Williams Interview with Ariane Kirtley

Montell Williams and Ariane Kirtley discuss the travesty

of there being people on earth today who do not have any water

A Hero of Compassion

Students have been Amman Imman’s core supporters since Ariane Kirtley began speaking at schools in September 2006.  When she came to the Oneness-Family School in October of that year, she presented Amman Imman to the school’s Peacekeeper club. Peacekeeper students brought the project to the Montessori community, presenting with Ariane at the Montessori Peace Academy conference in November.  Some of these same students have remained at the core of the movement as it has spread to 60 schools, within the Montessori community and beyond. One such student is Sophie M-D.

Sophie has continued to listen and absorb the lessons of compassion and action that Amman Imman has brought forth from her.  Over the last three years, Sophie has remained a key leader in the student movement as it has spread from school to school.  With her family she participates annually in A Walk for Water, canvassing friends and neighbors to financially support her symbolic walk.  In 2008, she traveled to Ohio with her fellow middle school students to present Amman Imman at the Hershey Montessori School.  She helped manage an Amman Imman table at money-raising school events like the Peacekeepers Holiday Bazaar.   As an Amman Imman representative, she presented the project to Oneness-Family School classes.

Sophie presenting Amman Imman at Oneness-Family School, 2008

Activism that springs from true compassion has the power to move an individual to do even more. The cause of the people of the Azawak truly entered Sophie’s heart. In July 2008 she wrote about Amman Imman in her blog:

My school helps a program called Amman Imman. Amman Imman's goal is to bring water to Niger, West Africa. So far in 2007 we were able to raise enough money to build a borehole and help 25,000 people. A borehole is like a well, but it is deeper and is a shaft that brings the water up. In February I was lucky enough to go to The Hershey Farm School in Ohio with the other seventh graders in my class (Sarah Nia, Ashley, Sophie H-S, and Dylan) to present about Amman Imman. Also, on my own, I decided to present to some three to six year-olds at Manor Montessori in Bethesda, MD. I have enjoyed all that I have done for Amman Imman and look forward to the upcoming year to help even more.

Sophie explains how a borehole works to the 3-6 year old children at the Manor Montessori School.

Students at Manor Montessori find out what it is like to carry water.

A natural champion of what she believes in, Sophie takes action where she can when she sees a need.   She is a true example of what we intend to cultivate in the students who participate in the Wells of Love program – future leaders with a caring, philanthropic spirit - who employ their compassion by taking action that can change the world.     

It is this vision – our Heroes of Compassion act as spokespeople and advocates for the people of the Azawak – that is at the core of the Wells of Love program.  Student leaders gain the tangible experience of taking the stories and photos that Ariane and the Amman Imman team bring back from remote and rural Azawak and share them with fellow students and school communities, and thus enact a web of involvement that spreads from school to school.

Now that Sophie has graduated from Oneness she continues to be an advocate for the people of the Azawak in high school. Sophie recently told me, “For some kids Amman Imman was something they did in elementary school  For me it is for my whole life”

At the club fair at her high school, The Madeira School, Sophie set up a table to gather support for a new Amman Imman school club.  As a result of her enthusiasm, 13 students signed up to join.  The group will focus on fundraising, education and the annual Walk for Water.    

Sophie has started an Amman Imman club at The Madeira School in Potomac, Maryland.

 Thank you, Sophie, for your dedication and commitment

to making a difference in the lives

of the children and families living in the Azawak.  

You are a true Hero of Compassion! 

Amman Imman Unites Nigerien and U.S. Children through Its Service Learning Program, Wells of Love

Amman Imman Unites Nigerien and U.S. Children Through Its Service Learning Program: 

Wells of Love is the service learning program of Amman Imman: Water is Life. Amman Imman is dedicated to improving and saving lives among the poorest and most severely threatened populations of the world by supplying permanent sources of water in the Azawak of West Africa.

Wells of Love empowers students as "Heroes of Compassion" - future leaders with a caring, philanthropic spirit - by engaging them to help bring water and hope to the 500,000 children and adults living in the Azawak. 

Wells of Love Goals:

·      Uniting students, young people of all ages, from preschoolers to university students, as caring philanthropists, or “Heroes of Compassion” capable of turning their empathy into direct action through collaborative and individually initiated efforts.

·      Increasing awareness among students about some of the most crucial humanitarian and environmental issues of our time, including the global water crisis and climate change directly affecting the lives of the people living in the Azawak of West Africa.

·      Shaping tomorrow’s leaders as global activists and problem solvers, affecting change and finding positive solutions to some of our world’s most challenging problems. 

·      Raising funds towards building numerous “Wells of Love” thereby having long-lasting and significant impact on the lives of the populations of the Azawak. 

           With YOU and Wells of Love  !

Amman Imman Wells of Love Carnival: Children Helping Children

When Suzanne Stork first heard about Amman Imman’s work with Montessori students, it touched her heart. “This is a project that inspires children to use their talents and creativity by empowering them to make a difference,” she says. While working with Ariane’s photos of children in the Azawak in preparation for a presentation to young children at Aidan Montessori, the school where she works, Suzanne was deeply moved. “Each photo evokes a personal connection, a feeling of oneness and commonality. These children have the same needs and feelings as my children. Their eyes and smiles reminded me of my own daughters,” says Suzanne.

Ariane with Suzanne and daughter Sarah

“Today, our children are bombarded with problems in the world. Amman Imman Wells of Love provides an opportunity for children to reach out to children who live far away and to make an incredible difference in their lives. As we begin to see through the eyes of another, we realize our common humanity and interconnectedness. Children see that although the people of the Azawak live far away, they hope and dream just as they do.”

It was this sentiment that inspired Suzanne to bring the Friendship Exchange to the children at Aidan Montessori. “This was an opportunity for children at Aidan to directly reach out to and connect with children in the Azawak, who they’ve been helping with their water problem." The Friendship Exchange not only shared gifts of beautiful beaded bracelets, but also shared photos and special messages between the kids of two vastly different cultures. “This took the children beyond charitable giving, and into a true heart-to-heart exchange,” says Suzanne. The children in the Azawak experienced the same heart-to-heart connection, becoming aware of children across the world in America who are essentially just like them.

In addition to coordinating the Wells of Love project at Aidan Montessori, Suzanne has taken an active volunteer role in the Amman Imman organization, helping to organize A Walk For Water and other activities. In fact, Suzanne’s entire family has been inspired. Her children, Hannah and Sarah, wanted to help, and so they organized an Amman Imman Benefit Carnival in a park near their home. They invited some high school students who made friendship bracelets and Hannah used her artistic skills for face painting.

Hannah painted beautiful designs for the children attending the Carnival.

Virginia high school students make friendship bracelets at the Amman Imman Carnival.

Ariane Kirtley, Amman Imman’s founder and director, her husband Denis Gontero, Niger Program Coordinator, and their small son Fassely, were in town to attend as well. Together with Wells of Love program director Debra Kahn, Ariane used small puppets to tell the story of the people of the Azawak, while Denis played the balafone.

Denis Gontero with son, Fassely.

“The project speaks to my heart because it involves children helping children. It’s simple and simply beautiful,” says Suzanne.

(from left to right) Fassely,Hannah, Kevin, puppy, Suzanee, Sarah, Ariane, Denis, Debbie

Montessori "Wells of Love"

Dear Teachers and Friends of the Azawak,

As our summer hiatus ends and the school year begins, it's time to unveil new opportunities for our students. That's part of the excitement of the new school year, isn't it? I'm excited to announce that the Montessori Amman Imman project is expanding and growing! We are now officially called "Wells of Love" and join Amman Imman as a program under the nonprofit Friendship Caravan. This change positions us to offer new opportunities for students to realize their potential as change-makers and philanthropists in partnering with Amman Imman: Water is Life and bringing water to the Azawak. And some personal news: after 17 years I have left the Oneness-Family School to dedicate myself as Program Director for "Wells of Love" engaging students as "Heroes of Compassion" in this humanitarian effort.

In the coming weeks you will see some changes on the Montessori Amman Imman blog and on the Amman Imman website. You will have the opportunity to register and download free of charge a "Wells of Love Resource Toolkit" containing:

• Presentation materials
• Display materials, including Amman Imman - A Story
  
• Curriculum resources, maps and lesson plans
• a photo starter pack
  
• A Walk for Water planning guide (read about A Walk For Water here)
  
• Amman-athon planning guide (go here to read about the Amman-athon)
  
• and more!

Meanwhile, I urge you to continue your fundraising efforts and tell your colleagues and friends about this service-learning project! Although times are tough here in America, please remember that for people in impoverished Azawak what we take for granted is sacred and scarce. While we can turn on a tap, people there have to walk as many as 34 miles in a day to find water, and more often than not it is mud. The good news is that Amman Imman is bringing water and life, and therefore hope! The borehole at Tangarwashane now provides pure water to 25,000 people and their animals. And with the support of Montessori students around the world for the last two years, our "Heroes of Compassion", Amman Imman has chosen the village of Kijigari as the site to build a "Montessori Well of Love", dedicated to the students who are helping. We are poised to begin drilling the borehole. However, we cannot complete the construction of the facilities until more funds are raised. So please continue to help! The people of Kijigari, Azawak are still thirsty and we want to bring them water and save their children from dying, as soon as possible.

To catch you up on what's been happening with the project over the last several months, I direct your attention to the following posts on the blog:
(You can read all the blog entries at this link: Montessori Wells of Love and the Amman Imman project)

Some stories from my trip to the Azawak with the Amman Imman team this past spring:
Amman Imman team in Niger works with the women of Tangarwashane, March 16

Pictures and stories about the Friendship Exchange between students in America and children in the Azawak:
The Friendship Exchange, April 12

Some reflections on the project:
We Care and We Can Help, May 1

Recent stories from springtime school fundraising effort to inspire you!
Spruce Pine Montessori Students Sing for Water
Montessori of Maryknoll Student Support Amman Imman: Water is Life
Butterfly Benefit and the Spirit of Service, at the Montessori School of Louisville in Kentucky
Ojai students raise funds to drill water well in Niger village, in the Venture County Star

Ariane Kirtley, Amman Imman's founder and director, has been featured in a new book entitled, "Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own". Teachers, this book contains stories about ordinary heroes and leaders and is a great resource to accompany your service-learning curriculum. Read about it on the blog here: Ariane Kirtley: Changing People's Lives, August 21

And finally, please go to the Amman Imman blog to read Ariane's inspiring update on how things fared in the Azawak upon the team's return from the bush: Partnerships and Progress in the Azawak, May 21

I look forward to continuing our work together, to provide this service-learning opportunity for students, and to make a tangible difference in the lives of the people of the Azawak. I wish each of you a rewarding start to your new school year. Please keep in touch. I would love to hear from you!

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about the new "Wells of Love", please contact me at info@ammanimman.org.

In service,
Debbie Kahn


p.p.s. To support the project, you can click here: Donate to Amman Imman, please designate, "Wells of Love"

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* * * * *
Debra Kahn
Associate Director, Amman Imman: Water is Life
"Bringing Water and Hope to Those Who have None"
www.ammanimman.org
montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com

Ariane Kirtley: Changing People's Lives

Amman Imman: Water is Life founder and director, Ariane Kirtley, is featured in a new book, Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own by Jeffrey A. Kottler and Mike Marriner. The book tells stories of individuals who have dedicated themselves to social justice causes and finding solutions to human rights issues, and in the process have changed lives.

Ariane certainly fits this description. In the three years since she started Amman Imman, she has changed the lives of thousands of people in the Azawak of West Africa by providing them with access to life-giving water. Likewise, she has changed the lives of hundreds of students who have dedicated themselves to Amman Imman's cause as philanthropists and change-makers, and who have in turn transformed their own lives toward compassion, activism and leadership.

I am inspired by this cycle of transformation and change. Ariane's promise to the people of the Azawak - to bring them water - has been taken up by students who now fulfill that promise alongside her. The potential and hope it holds for our world is tremendous!

I recommend this book as a resource for your cultural and social justice curriculums, and as a source of stories to inspire your students in their service-learning projects, particularly as they continue raising funds toward a Montessori "Well of Love". The book features many students and teachers who have taken initiative to start their own projects.

Please read more on the Amman Imman website, including the section in the book about Ariane: http://waterishope.org/Multimedia_Press/releases/release_082109.html

You can purchase the book on Amazon here.