The words of gratitude from these communities speak volumes about the physical and spiritual power of clean water, particularly in places where it is scarce and collecting it is burdensome.
The Living Water Projects Celebrates 20 Years of Dedication to the Cause of Clean Water
LWP Marks Platinum Anniversary With an Interactive EVENT Honoring World Water Day
In conjunction with World Water Day, the Living Water Project will host a special in-person, interactive event on March 28, 2021, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate our 20th anniversary. The event will be marked in two special ways:
By offering prayers of blessing for partners and the communities receiving the gift of water, and
By carrying water in solidarity with an estimated 800 million people worldwide who still lack access to clean water.
Held at the Otter Creek Church pavilion and property at 409 Franklin Road in Brentwood, the event invites all ages to:
Join us in carrying water from a branch of the nearby Little Harpeth River
Donate to help fund projects waiting to begin in 2021
Pray for this event, our ministry and the unknown people whose lives can be positively impacted by clean water.
How the Event Will Work
Bring empty milk jugs, buckets and other containers to Otter Creek Church starting at 1 p.m. on March 28. Fill your container with the water from a tributary of the Little Harpeth River flowing behind the Otter Creek building, and carry the water along the guided path around the property. Along the half-mile path you can stop at information stations that explain the global water crisis and the impact of the well projects sponsored by the Living Water Project.
Then at 2:30 p.m., join us at the pavilion to commemorate our anniversary with prayers for our partners and those whose lives have been positively impacted by clean water. Twenty donors and volunteers will each light one candle in celebration of the 20 years our incredible network has collaborated to help solve the clean water crisis. Light refreshments will be served.
What You Can Do Before the Event
The Living Water Project has a goal to raise $20,000 and gain 20 new monthly donors during the week of March 22 (the official World Water Day) through March 28 (our anniversary celebration). An anonymous donor has pledged to match funds up to $20,000, so your gift will go a long way!
Make your donation extra-special by honoring a friend or loved one, giving up something and donating that amount to the Living Water Project, or giving an amount equal to or a multiple of your monthly water bill. Any amount is appreciated—with 100% of all donations going directly to water projects.
Please make plans to attend the event on March 28, and share these details with your family, friends, colleagues, Life Groups and neighbors:
20th Anniversary Celebration of the Living Water Project
Sunday, March 28, 1–3 p.m.
Otter Creek Pavilion and Property
409 Franklin Road, Brentwood, Tennessee
**Bring a container to carry water and walking shoes.**
A Record-Setting Year: 2020 Living Water Project Year in Review
This was TWLP’s 20th year of partnering with communities around the world to provide clean water. As of the end of 2020, this ministry has funded a total of 675 wells/clean-water projects in 25 countries. These projects represent a total of $1,817,538 committed to clean water development since our founding.
Here are answers to a few questions about this remarkable—and record-setting—year:
How many projects did you do in 2020?
In 2020 TWLP funded a total of 130 new wells/clean-water projects (62 new wells and 68 rehabilitated wells), with a total of $284,535 committed to these projects. The 130 total projects are an all-time single-year LWP record (the previous record of 104 in 2017). Here is the breakdown of projects by country:
Zambia: 36
Malawi: 34
Sierra Leone: 24
Chad: 12
Liberia: 8
Ghana: 7
Cameroon: 5
Philippines: 2
Nicaragua: 1
Guatemala: 1
How many people are benefitting from these 130 wells?
Although it’s difficult to determine just how many people are using these wells, we estimate that we spend about $9 for every one person who receives clean water from Living Water wells. Based on this estimate, approximately 31,615 are benefitting from these new wells and rehabilitations.
Did you go anywhere new in 2020?
We didn’t fund projects in any new countries in 2020, but the number of wells increased significantly in places like Malawi, Zambia and Sierra Leone.
How much was raised?
Despite all the challenges of 2020, our generous donors contributed $326,802—a 4% increase from 2019’s total of $313,288, our previous record year. This total amount raised is also an all-time single-year LWP record!
What’s on the horizon?
Plans will be materializing soon to celebrate our 20th anniversary. What an incredible legacy our founder Shanon Dickerson left for us, and how faithful God has been through the years!
Thank you to our friends and donors for your contributions to this work in 2020. Looking forward to a great 2021 and all that God has planned for this ministry. If there is anything 2020 taught us, we have no idea what lies in store!
—Jon Lee, president, Living Water Project
The Unfettered Joy of a New Well
The impact of a new well on a community is profound, but it often can’t be fully grasped until seeing its previous water source. When lacking access to clean water, people must resort to drinking from any available source, often a long walk from their village. This could be a stagnant spring with flies, a muddy river or stream, or just a hole dug deep enough to seep enough groundwater for scooping up. The consequences of drinking this contaminated water are constant illness from waterborne diseases and sometimes death. Children miss significant time from school. Women and girls are sometimes assaulted while walking to and from remote water sources, further compounding the risk. It’s no wonder that joyful celebration erupts when a new well is constructed, and abundant clean water begins to flow!
The photo here from Weetown, Liberia, shows the young women’s excitement to have a new Living Water Project well—a stark contrast to the community’s previous, contaminated water source. If we imagine what it would be like to drink from one of these dirty water sources, it’s easy to understand the transforming impact of a new well.
Ghana Partner Sends Great Report on 20 Living Water Project Wells
Paul Partey, Living Water Project’s Ghana coordinator, took the initiative to visit all 20 wells that his group has overseen in Ghana since our partnership began in late 2018. His report from the field was so encouraging! Here’s a portion of his letter to the LWP board:
We are thankful to God for letting us see this day. … Two years ago we began a partnership with you to provide clean water for the communities in Ghana, for which we are grateful.
“Last Monday we decided to visit all the 20 wells … and see if they are working or not. It may interest you to note that 18 out of 20 are perfectly working and providing clean water for the communities, including Trawa. Two have minor electrical problems, but we have advised them what to do to ratify it. Those communities are thankful to God and to you, the Living Water Project.
Thank you so much for being there for our communities and the work.
“Not only are 18 of the 20 wells working perfectly, but even better is that Paul was able to advise on repairs for the two that were having issues,” said Jon Lee, LWP board member. “We are so blessed to have such wonderful partners in every country where we're active.”
Sharptown Church's 5th Annual Water Walk Raises Thousands for Clean Water
For the last five years, our friends at Sharptown United Methodist Church in Pilesgrove, N.J., have hosted an interactive, hands-on Water Walk to raise money for the Living Water Project. Despite the pandemic, this year’s Water Walk hosted about 100 walkers and raised $17,500.
“After God laid the cause of clean water on my heart, we brought our mission committee together and created the Water Walk,” said organizer Cindy Dutton. “I did a lot of research for a fitting recipient of the funds and found the Living Water Project online. We love LWP!”
Usually held at Fort Mott State Park, the 2020 Water Walk was held at Camp Roosevelt, a local Boy Scout camp in Elmer, N.J. Participants chose a bucket, filled it up in a nearby pond, then carried it on a course throughout the park.
“We wanted this experience to help people get a greater understanding of what those without water have to do on a daily basis,” Dutton said.
Read more about past Sharptown Water Walks here, and contact us for ideas on involving your own community in a fundraiser for clean water.
Dine In for Water Sets Ambitious Goal
If you've ever said, "I'd pay a lot of money instead of going to another fundraising dinner," 2020 is your year!
The Living Water Project is hoping to raise $100,000 at our Dine in for Water virtual event on October 18. It's an ambitious goal, but our on-the-ground partners in Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Philippines and Zambia will be ready to drill new wells by the end of the year—and we want to be ready to help them!
This year's COVID-19-friendly format invites you to donate from the comfort of your home while enjoying a meal with family or a few friends. Choose from one of our three options:
-Prepare a Filipino meal with our recipes and step-by-step directions. ((Click this link for recipes for Adobo Chicken, Eggplant Omelet and Biko Sticky Rice Cake.)
-Reserve your meal from our curbside pickup option. (Up to 75 plates available.)
-Serve whatever you like and just tune in to our Facebook Live event at 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 18.
To get all the details on participating, register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-the-living-water-project-dine-in-for-water-tickets-123424198099! Hope to "see" you October 18!
2020 Fundraising Dinner Focused on Filipino Partnership
Register for Living Water's 2020 Dine in for Water fundraiser on October 18: http://bit.ly/DineinforWater!
This year's event is centered on Filipino food to honor efforts to bring clean water to the Philippines. Multiple tropical storms—including 2013's Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm on record when it struck the island country—have wiped out access to clean water in many regions. Working with partners Bob and Annie Wellerding, the Living Water Project recently sent funds to build three new wells in the village of Busali Barangay, on the island of Biliran.
Will You Dine in for Water?
The COVID-19 pandemic is making efforts to expand clean water access—especially in impoverished communities around the world—even more vital. Will you help us raise $100,000 to get clean water to those without at this year's Dine in for Water?
Registration is open for our 2020-style fundraising dinner on Sunday, October 18, and we hope to see you there!
This fun new format invites you to raise money for clean water from the comfort of your home. Enjoy a meal with your immediate family, or invite over a few friends for a socially distant dinner outside choosing from one of our three options:
Prepare a Filipino meal with our recipes and step-by-step directions.
Reserve your meal from our curbside pickup option*.
Serve whatever you like and just tune in. We’ll be happy to have you as a part of the evening, no matter what!
Register here to get all the details on participating! And donate on our special page here!
* Up to 75 plates available.
'A Great Blessing for all the People': New Wells Inaugurated in Chad
Though the digging of wells in some parts of the world have to remain on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re excited to report that some clean-water projects have been able to move forward.
Issa Keitoumar, one of our on-ground partners in Chad, recently sent a report about the well inaugurations in Chad so far this year. Living Water Projects funds helped dig wells in the following community villages: Bagaou, Ham Bogol, Wadang, Billiam-Oursi and Karsao.
“Digging a well in [a] village is a great blessing for all the people living in the community,” Issa writes. “Our plan is to get more wells for the community because, for a population of 12,000 or 15,000 people, only one well is not fair. As we inaugurated the wells we put people in the villages to take care of the new wells and [taught them] how to maintain it in case the well broke. Our joy is that water wells open doors for us to present Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to the communities.”