montessori well of love and our heroes of compassion

8/14/2019 Montessori Well of Love and Our Heroes of Compassion

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Since the IMC Peace Academy Conference in

November, 2006, Montessori students around the

world have been partnering withAmman

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 ourHeroes of

Compassion around the world who have been

raising funds to bring water to the people of the Azawak. Ariane Kirtley, Amman

Immans 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

earths 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 ourHeroes 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. Thechildren are leaving the school one by one in

search for water, and the womens 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.


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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 worlds 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 well 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 ([email protected]), 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 villages economy:

among other things, the women will be able toplant 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


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week, and well 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 [email protected]. Id love

to be in touch!

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

students asHeroes 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 athttp://montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com/.

To bring out theHero of Compassion in your students, please contact Debra

Kahn, Wells of Love program director, email: [email protected], 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 withAmman

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.


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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.

Its 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, suitedand 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:


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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 Azawaks 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 likeAmman Imman, if you want something done then you

cant just sit around and hope someone else will do it for you. You have to

take the initiative and become a leader. Ive also become more philanthropic.

I see how many people have given up prized possessions and much moneyfor 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. Its

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 Ive chosen to helpAmman Imman when there are

humanitarian issues so close to home. My answer is simple: people in the

Azawak arent getting help from anyone else. Specifically, I am addressing

the Azawaks desperate need for water. Its a simple concept, really. The

residents of that area have no water for ten months out the year, so I say lets

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. Its helped me to learn that Ill only reach my goals if

I advocate for myself and take initiative. Youd be surprised by how fewpeople can do that.

I learned that I dont 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. Its 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


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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!

montessori well of love and our heroes of compassion

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