Since the IMC Peace Academy Conference in

November, 2006, Montessori students around the

world have been partnering with Amman
Imman: Water is Life (www.ammanimman.org)
to build permanent and sustainable sources of
water – Wells of Love – in the Azawak of West
Africa. Now, the construction of the Kijigari
Well of Love has begun! This deep borehole
well is possible largely due to our Heroes of
Compassion around the world who have been
raising funds to bring water to the people of the Azawak. Ariane Kirtley, Amman
Imman’s founder and director, reports on the latest developments:

The Kijigari Montessori Well of Love,

by Ariane Alzhara Kirtley

This week the Kijigari Montessori Well of Love, dedicated to our dear late Dennis
Hamilton has been drilled!! With a powerful drilling rig and heavy duty machinery
and equipment, the borehole was dug accessing water at 180 meters below the
earth’s surface. Men, women and children stood nearby and watched for the first
time clean and abundant water flowing in their land. Children sang songs of
gratitude that they would soon no longer have to walk an incredibly tiresome
distance for water thanks to their Well of Love. But the hole, which has now been
capped, is not enough to bring them life-bearing water.

We plan on equipping this borehole with a pump

and engine, water tower, troughs, and faucets all
by the end of March, as money comes flowing in
from our Heroes of Compassion and other
dedicated supporters. The mothers and children
of Kijigari impatiently await pure and permanent
flowing water in their home. The shallow wells
dug in the dry marsh that surrounds the village
have all dried, leaving no water to drink. The
children are leaving the school one by one in
search for water, and the women’s garden
cooperative has closed. Denis and our local team
have already begun training the villagers, and
making preparations for the election of the
borehole management committee.
 Since our arrival in Niger in early December,
Denis and I have worked nonstop to negotiate the
price of our borehole, as well as meet with
government authorities. Negotiations have been
bittersweet. On the one hand, we obtained a
fabulous price for the drilling. On the other hand,
the cost for the infrastructure (water tower, faucet,
pump, etc) has soared. Stainless steel prices have
increased internationally due to the global
financial crisis. This has had a huge impact on the
cost of paying for materials here. This financial
crisis has truly paid its toll on everyone, including
the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. Not only
has the price for improving and saving lives risen,
but even our most generous donors have not been
able to contribute as much as they would like.

We have great faith that we’ll be able to raise the 50K we require to complete the
borehole by the end of March! Our need for funds is at a peak, and so is our effort
to fundraise. Schools across the nation are organizing A Walk for Water, all of
which will take place starting this March. We are certain to bring in several
thousands of dollars to complete the borehole dedicated to their efforts. Please
contact Debra Kahn (debbie@ammanimman.org), if you want to help by
planning a Walk. A step by step planning guide is available.

We are also making appeals to companies and

individuals to match the money raised by our
Heroes of Compassion. If you would like to
contribute in this way, please let contact us. Your
donation will save lives among the children of
Kijigari that currently have no water to drink. It
will also help rebuild the village’s economy:
among other things, the women will be able to
plant flourishing gardens, the children will attend
school year-round, and the men will rebuild their
livestock herds.

I will send more stories and photos of the drilling as

soon as Denis returns from Kijigari at the end of the
week, and we’ll keep you updated as construction progresses for our Montessori
Well of Love. Please stay in touch via our website at
http://www.ammanimman.org or write me at ariane@ammanimman.org. I’d love
to be in touch!

Wells of Love, the service-learning component of Amman Imman, empowers

students as Heroes of Compassion – future leaders with a caring, philanthropic
spirit – by engaging them to help bring water and hope to some of the most
vulnerable populations on earth. Read the stories of these student leaders on the
blog at http://montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com/.

To bring out the Hero of Compassion in your students, please contact Debra
Kahn, Wells of Love program director, email: debbie@ammanimman.org, cell
phone: 240-418-1143. She can provide tools and resources to get you started.
Debra tells about two of our compassionate leaders:

Super Heroes of Compassion,

by Debra Kahn

“What is a Hero of Compassion?” I posed

this question to Andrea and Sebastian,
two 8th graders from the Oneness-Family
School who chose to work with Amman
Imman to fulfill the internship and
community service requirement at their
school.

“Kind of like a super hero,” offered

Sebastian. "Super heroes use their super
human strength to save the lives of
ordinary people. Heroes of Compassion
give their best to help people, and by
helping discover their own super power."

By the end of our time together it was

clear that although these two appear as
ordinary teenagers, behind the mask of
adolescence they are extraordinary
individuals who are changing the world.
These two exhibited super powers all week. Andrea, serious and philosophical,
readily shared her desire to walk the unpaved path through life. Sebastian, steadfast
yet whimsical, added an element of fun. Between the two of them, they contributed
the right balance required to achieve the impossible. My goal was to prepare them
to present our new Hand in Hand campaign to the lower elementary class (1st
through 3rd graders) at Oneness-Family. By Thursday, they would be ready to do
the presentation entirely on their own. We would film the process, and eventually
incorporate the video as an instructional tool for schools and a record of our work
together.

It’s not always easy to get middle school students to turn off their ipods or to
disengage from their friends, and accomplish something. But beneath the surface
of these teenage distractions brews the ingredients for inspired leadership. Often
kept at arms length, compassion encircles the teenage character. When you get a 13
year old to shed their armor, it is like they step out of the telephone booth, suited
and empowered. They just need an opportunity to bring out their super hero
qualities and begin saving people.

Andrea and Sebastian worked hard all week. On Thursday, they spoke with the
class of 30 students about their own super hero abilities. They described Hand in
Hand, where students make handicrafts and sell them in their community to raise
awareness and funds for a borehole in the Azawak. This Well of Love will bring
water, potentially saving the lives of thousands and thousands of people and
animals. No small feat, but for these Heroes a challenge worthy their courage and
compassion.

As we finished, I asked them to write about their experiences:

Sebastian Ashley, 8th grade
The reason that I chose to work with Amman Imman was because I thought
that this project was the most urgent and important. Some of the possible
community service options had to do with helping the homeless or old, but
this one helps those who are dying, and this project has very few people
actually working as a staff or members, so they could use more help. Amman
Imman is important because it helps the people of the Azawak’s need for
water and also helps their economy.

By participating in Wells of Love I have become a Hero of Compassion. In

a small company like Amman Imman, if you want something done then you
can’t just sit around and hope someone else will do it for you. You have to
take the initiative and become a leader. I’ve also become more philanthropic.
I see how many people have given up prized possessions and much money
for others, so I now see that the least I can do is give up a little spare time.

I chose this project because I believe that helping others less fortunate than
ourselves is not merely an option, but a necessary course of action. It’s
important to give back to the global community, particularly if you are born
in a society that supplies you with both basic needs as well as whims. Some
people wonder why I’ve chosen to help Amman Imman when there are
humanitarian issues so close to home. My answer is simple: people in the
Azawak aren’t getting help from anyone else. Specifically, I am addressing
the Azawak’s desperate need for water. It’s a simple concept, really. The
residents of that area have no water for ten months out the year, so I say let’s
give it to them! Saving lives is an amazing thing, and by advocating for AI
and helping to fundraise, I am helping to do just that.

My participation in Wells of Love helps me to be a Hero of Compassion by

encouraging me to motivate others in working towards a common goal, as
well as helping me to realize that achieving the greater good takes more than
a single generous soul. It’s helped me to learn that I’ll only reach my goals if
I advocate for myself and take initiative. You’d be surprised by how few
people can do that.

I learned that I don’t need an incentive to help others. It actually comes kind
of naturally. I feel a want, if not an urge, to provide aid for those in need of
it. It’s also helped me to realize how insignificant I am as an individual, that
I can only do little things to work towards something greater. By dedicating
myself to this worthy cause, and working collaboratively towards the
boreholes, I set a long-term goal for myself. I encourage you to take this up,
too!