A Note From Our Director: 2017 in Review

Thanks to the hard work and generosity of so many, 2017 was a wonderful year for the Living Water Project!  Below is a snapshot of that year, and some updated numbers on what’s been accomplished since our founding. 

In 2017 TWLP funded a total of 104 new wells/clean-water projects, with a total of $302,000 committed to these projects.  Both of these numbers are all-time single-year highs for us.  The breakdown of projects by country is as follows: 
Chad   36  
Togo    23
Zambia   20
Cameroon  14
Niger   4
Benin  3
Nicaragua   1
India   1
Democratic Republic of the Congo   1
Kenya   1

Approximately 74,600 people are benefitting from these 104 wells on a daily basis.  To put this in perspective, this is almost identical to the population of Franklin, TN (74,794).

The wells in Benin and Cameroon were our first-ever to be funded in those countries.

2017 was TWLP’s 17th year of partnering with communities around the world to provide clean water.  Since its founding in 2001, Living Water has funded a total of 379 wells/clean-water projects in 22 different countries.  These projects represent a total of $968,070 committed to clean water development.

…..and, as always, all of this was work has been done by unpaid volunteers!

We are so grateful for the role that so many of you have played in making all of this possible, and we look forward to seeing how God blesses this ministry in 2018.

This report was written by Jon Lee, Director of Operations.

The Living Water Project would like to thank volunteer Cara L. Harris for designing the graphics below!

2017 Goal Exceeded!

You did it! To date, TLWP has received $256,322.14 this year! Thank you for entrusting and joining us in this effort. We are amazed and humbled by your generosity. 

Reaching this goal means more people in Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Kenya, Niger, Togo, and Zambia have access to clean water, and we have grown even more inspired by the community making this possible. From donors to ministry partners and diggers, it is an honor to partner with God in bringing clean water to His people. We are reviewing grant requests for $200k in new water projects. If you or someone you know would like to join in this, please let us know!  

Aiming High

It’s been said that it is better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit your goal. How much better is it to aim high and hit the goal?  TLWP board aimed high for 2017 by setting a goal to raise $250,000. We are praising God that by His grace and your generosity, we are only $5,000 away from reaching our goal. $5,000 may not sound like much, but it is enough to fund a well that will serve and better the lives of a whole community. Will you join us in our push to hit our goal by the end of the year? 

Visiting Our Partners at Sharptown

This article is written by Board Member Jessica Schwieger. Jessica and her husband, fellow board member Scott Schwieger recently traveled to New Jersey to visit our partners at Sharptown Church. Here is an account of their trip!

Almost three years ago, Cindy Dutton of Pennsville, NJ felt a burden to do something about the millions of people (currently it's 844 million) who lack clean water.  She began planning an event to raise money for the cause before she even knew who she would give it to.  After a lot of research, she found the Living Water Project and chose this organization because we are completely volunteer run and all but the small amount that Paypal takes goes to the water projects and not to overhead costs.  

For the last three Augusts, Cindy has organized and spearheaded The Sharptown Water Walk.  It is put on by Cindy and fellow members of the Sharptown United Methodist Church in Pilesgrove, NJ.  The Water Walk is an interactive, hands on event.  Held at Fort Mott State Park, participants choose whatever size bucket they want - from 1/2 gallon to 5 gallons - walk to the Deleware River, fill up their bucket(s) and then walk a 1.25 mile course through the park and back to a picnic pavilion.  Part of the course goes through a semi-wooded area that has the feel of being in the wilderness, an experience many people around the world no doubt have as they walk long distances to obtain clean water.  The course ends with an obstacle course that is meant to mimic some of the difficult conditions people have to navigate just to obtain clean water, something we take for granted.  

Before August, no one from the Living Water Project had ever met Cindy or her friends.  We've been amazed at the creativity and generosity of these people so many states away who have trusted us with the fruit of their labor.  In August, right after our 2nd annual fundraising dinner, Scott Schwieger, one of our new board members (and my husband) and I had the pleasure of going to New Jersey to meet Cindy, her husband Stu, the missions committee at Sharptown and many of their fellow church members.  Stu and Cindy opened their home to us and took us to Fort Mott State Park to walk the Water Walk course.  While we were in South Jersey, we also spoke in their church services, answered questions during Bible Class and had lunch with the missions committee.  It was a great weekend and we were blessed to meet Stu and Cindy as well as many others at the Sharptown Church.  

Our visit to Pilesgrove and Pennsville was another experience that confirms God is at work everywhere!  He loves all of us and will use us to minister to those who are hurting. Also, Stu and Cindy's faith was uplifting and contagious.  They are a couple devoted to God and thankful to Him for all He's done in their lives.  That faithfulness and gratitude no doubt equips them to do great things like plan and organize the Sharptown Water Walk.  We'd all do well to learn from them and mimic their thankfulness as well as obedience to God's leadings.

Please contact us if you are interested in hearing more about opportunities to partner your community with The Living Water Project. 
 

Members of Sharptown Church participate in the Water Walk Fundraiser this year.

Participants of the 2017 Water Walk carry water to raise money for clean wells in Zambia.

LW Board Member Scott Schwieger with Stu and Cindy Dutton during their recent visit.

Board Members Jessica and Scott Schwieger on their recent visit to Sharptown Church.

Community members of Kabele, Zambia rejoice over their well that was funded by the Sharptown Congregation. This is one of the many wells Sharptown has funded. We are so thankful for their passion and partnership!

2017 Celebration Dinner!

The second annual TLWP celebration dinner will be held on August 17, 2017! This year, we will be focusing on our partnerships in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a Congolese menu and stories of how your partnerships have changed lives and helped communities all over the world. We are so excited to share this evening with you. To RSVP for this free event, go to tinyurl.com/tlwpdinner2017. Please feel free to invite others to celebrate with us!

2017 Zambian Campaign Results!

We are so excited to announce that, thanks to your partnership, we reached our goal of $30,000 for clean water wells in Zambia this summer! Your donations will have an immediate impact in villages which are in dire need of water resources. We'll keep you posted on construction over the next few months. THANK YOU!

Zambia Campaign 2017

The Living Water Project: Zambia Well Challenge!

Over the past six years, The Living Water Project has funded 37 Zambian wells. We are so appreciative to those who have been helpful in this project, and we are excited to see what we will be able to fund for the 2017 drilling season!

Our Zambian well coordinator, Shadreck Sibwaalu, has a list of over 105 areas in need of wells. Many Zambians resort to digging ground holes and collecting rain water throughout the rainy season. This is the only water source in areas that have no government-provided well access. Shadreck works with Namwianga Missions in Zambia and is an outstanding water project coordinator and partner with The Living Water Project. Every year, he surveys villages to find those areas in the most need for clean water wells. The Living Water Project hopes to commit $30,000 for the building of 8 wells this drilling season (August to October). Our goal is to raise $30,000 by June 30, 2017.  We hope you will consider joining us in this endeavor!

To donate:

- Go to http://www.livingwaterwells.org/donate

- You can pay via Paypal or mail in a check.

- Please indicate "Zambia 2017" in your donation.

Questions? 

Contact Jon Lee at jlee@livingwaterwells.org
To learn more about the Living Water Project, visit www.livingwaterwells.org.

Please see below for before and after pictures from the Sibalwa Village Well funded and built in 2016.

Thank you!

The Living Water Project

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SIBALWA VILLAGE: BEFORE

These pictures show the previous water source for the Sibalwa Village. 

Notice the color of the previous drinking water in the village of Sibalwa. This is the standard drinking water of hundreds of villages in Zambia who do not have access to clean drinking water.

Villagers walk miles to gather this water for their households. The collected water from the rainy season typically only lasts 2-3 months.

These water holes are the only resource the villagers have to collect water during the rainy season.

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SIBALWA VILLAGE: AFTER! 

The well at Sbialwa Village was completed in the Fall of 2016. This was directly funded by our wonderful supporters who donated to the Zambia 2016 campaign.

Happy Sibalwa villagers collect water from their new well. This well was built in the fall of 2016. The funds for these wells were provided by our wonderful donors in our Zambia 2016 campaign!

The wells provide water not only for drinking, but for cooking, irrigation, vegetation, etc.  People come for miles to utilize the wells.  All are welcome to partake of the clean water.

The wells built in Zambia have a hand pump (pictured).  The village work together to build a fence around the well to protect it from wildlife and livestock. The village forms a committee to take responsibility for well maintenance. The man pictured here is the Elder of the Sibalwa well committee.

32 New wells, Clean water for 19,000 people

Back in August, 2016 the Living Water Project celebrated the great bounty received from our inaugural dinner.  On February 1 we realized the "harvest" in terms of wells and real people being impacted, as our board committed $63,600 toward 32 new wells (in Chad, Togo and Niger) in one night!  These 32 wells will bring desperately needed clean water to approximately 19,000 people.  We recognize that such nights are the result of many years of cultivating relationships, prayer, meetings, travel, fundraising and other work - and, especially, the generosity of our donors.

We also set an ambitious goal of raising $250,000 in 2017, which represents a substantial 44% increase over the $173,500 that was raised in 2016 (Note: 2016 was a record fundraising year for Living Water).  It will take hard work in order to achieve this, but we know that God will continue to bless our efforts as we seek His guidance.

Last, here are the all-time well numbers for Living Water, along with $ committed and raised:
- Total wells funded since founding:  307
- Total countries:  20* 
- Total committed to clean water:  $734,300
- Total raised/donated since inception:  $786,200

*LWP has funded wells in:  Chad, Togo, Niger, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Uganda, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, India

A woman near Kelo, Chad draws clean water from a Living Water Project well for the first time - January, 2017

Residents of Palabre village in northern Togo celebrate a new Living Water Project well.  -January, 2017

The Living Water Project - 2015 Summary:

2015 was another wonderful year for The Living Water Project. Thank you all for your support. Please enjoy this 2015 Summary from Director of Operations, Jon Lee.

Hello!
I ended my Year in Review for 2014 by saying, “I'm excited to think about what might be on a similar e-mail at the end of 2015.”  Well, there was a lot to be excited about in 2015, so I wanted to give you a brief recap.  I hope you will take a moment and read about all that has been accomplished.

First, the big picture:  
This was TLWP’s 15th year of partnering with communities around the world to provide clean water.  As of the end of 2015, this ministry has funded a total of 232 wells/clean-water projects in 18 different countries.  I believe our founder and friend Shanon Dickerson would be very pleased. I know that his parents Bobby and Jerri are. 

And now, some numbers for 2015: 
In 2015, The Living Water Project (TLWP) funded a total of 61 new wells/clean-water projects, with a total of $127,403 committed to these projects.  The breakdown of projects by country is as follows:

Togo 40

Zambia 10

Niger 7

Guatemala 1

Dominican Republic 1

Democratic Republic of the Congo 1

Nicaragua 1

A total of $122,623 was raised by TLWP in 2015.  This number is significant because our spending had been outpacing our income by a fair amount for a while, but we just about caught up this year. I’m happy to report that the total number of projects, the dollar-amount committed to projects, and the total amount raised are all single-year records!

Here are a few other highlights from 2015:

In the Spring of 2015, we had our annual in-person board meeting in Nashville, with Matt Hangen and Ray Sanders from Water4 joining us. (Please see photo below). 

Board Members Kevin Colvett and Jon Lee took a 13-day trip to Senegal and Nigerwith Jerry Atnip (Otter Creek member) and James Forelines (Executive Director of Final Command Ministries) to visit communities, listen to the people, and explore how TLWP and FCM can partner in Kingdom work together.  Jerry Atnip created a beautiful photo display from this trip, which is currently hanging in the hallways at Otter Creek Church. (Please see photo below). 

Board member Linda Zelnik and long time volunteer Jennifer Thompson co-coordinated yet another great yard sale, with almost $15,000 in sales and donations.

TLWP funded its first projects in three new countries:  Niger, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua

A total of $13,675 was donated in honor of our friend Jackie England, for an upcoming project in Nicaragua that will honor her beautiful life.

Lipscomb Middle School raised $2,200 to fund a well in Niger.

Our online campaign to raise $18,000 (above what had already been committed)for Zambia wells yielded $19,227. 

Board members David Wilson and Jon Lee explored the Made In the Streets "Mountain View” property in Kenya during July 2015. The board hopes to fund a well for this property in 2016.

Board members Michael Odell, Sandra Collins, Caroline Cormack and Linda Zelnik (plus other volunteers) did an amazing job raising more than $3,000 for thePresents With a Purpose event in November.  

Those are just a few of the many acts of service and generosity that this ministry experienced last year. This was done while still being completely run by volunteers.

Thanks again for your contributions to this Kingdom work in 2015.  I am also very fortunate to work with our incredibly talented, board members whose gracious hearts match that their level of talent. 

Looking forward to a great 2016,

Jon Lee
Director of Operations
The Living Water Project

The Living Water Project Board Members at our Annual 2015 Nashville Meeting, joined by members of Water4. 

This beautiful image shows a woman in Niger enjoying fresh water from the local well. Photo by Jerry Atnip.

Presents With a Purpose!

Presents With A Purpose this Saturday!

The Living Water Project is once again participating in Presents With a Purpose!  The event will be held THIS Saturday, 11-7-15, from 9 am to 2 pm at The Well Coffee House, 690 Old Hickory Blvd, Brentwood, TN 37027!

Here is some information from the Presents With a Purpose facebook page!

Make out your Christmas shopping list and bring it to the Presents with a Purpose event at The Brentwood Well Coffeehouse on Saturday, November 7 from 9:00 - 2:00!
You can buy great gifts for your loved ones, help financially support organizations that make our community and this world a better place, and drink some delicious coffee that uses a portion of their proceeds to build clean water wells in areas of need. It's a WIN - WIN - WIN!

Our participating vendors this year are:

• The Living Water Project
• Made in the Streets
• Thistle Farms
• Branded Collective/End Slavery TN
• Youthreach International
• Mission Lazarus
• Exile International
• Noonday
• Strings for Hope
• Cotton Mill
• The Well Coffeehouse and the great products they sell everyday from JOYN, Harvest Hands, ‪#‎livebeyond‬, and blood:water mission.

To find out more info, please go to the event page:https://www.facebook.com/events/1523546094603838/

See you there!

The Living Water Project