How to Become a Monthly Donor—And Why It Helps

Ever wonder why organizations encourage people to become monthly donors?

Monthly donors add stability to a charity's work and allow for more tactical planning. For the Living Water Project in particular, having funds available at the right time makes such a difference. Many of the countries where we fund projects have a rainy season when wells cannot be dug, but as soon as the rainy season is over, it’s helpful for those funds to be at the ready!

These regular funds also allow us to plan further in advance, a helpful strategy for an all-volunteer organization like ours. If we know we can depend on a certain amount of resources each month, we can let our partners on the ground know when to expect a well project can start.

It's easy to become a monthly LWP donor. Check out our Donate page.

In Loving Memory: Our Memorial Well Program

In February 2020, a new Living Water Project well at the Trawa School in Ghana was dedicated in memory of Andrew Rieder, who passed away in 2013. (Though the children look very serious in this picture, board members Jon Lee and Kevin Colvett assure us that they saw many smiling faces when they visited the site in March 2019!)

In the past few years, the Rieder family has funded several wells in Andrew’s honor through the Living Water Project’s Memorial Well Program. We are humbled by their gifts.

Families like the Rieders find that funding the construction of a well project is a unique and meaningful way to honor the memory of a loved one who has passed, while also having a tangible, long-term impact on people who need clean water.

The Memorial Well Program offers families flexibility and creativity in bestowing their gifts. Sometimes families give a single gift that is sufficient to cover the cost of a well. Other times families encourage their community to make gifts to the Living Water Project “in lieu of flowers” for their loved ones.

Once funds have been raised, Living Water team members, consulting with the family, find an upcoming water project that is a good fit. When the memorial well is completed and water is flowing, Living Water sends the family several photos of the well and a report along with its location.

The Memorial Well Program is a great example of how the Living Water Project works in collaboration with donors, in-country partners, board members and drillers to bring clean water to those who need it. And it’s such a beautiful tribute to someone’s memory—making love manifest in the form of clean water.

Interested in learning more? We are happy to talk you through the possibilities. Please contact us through this link.

LWP Passes the $2 Million Funding Milestone

We are proud to announce that last week the LWP surpassed the $2 million funding mark since we began 20 years ago! Those donations have spearheaded hundreds of well projects in 26 countries—and changed the lives of many, many thousands of people. We are amazed by all of our wonderful supporters ... and wanted to share this incredible milestone with you.

Living Water Project's 20th Anniversary Celebration Surpasses Goal, Raises Over $47k

We extend our gratitude to those who attended our 20th Anniversary Celebration and Water Walk on March 28, and to those who cheered us on from afar. Because of you:

• We celebrated our 20-year history

• We imagined the walk of thousands who struggle daily to find clean water

• We honored our in-country partners around the globe as well as our sustainers and donors here at home

• We surpassed our $20k fundraising goal, unlocking a $20k matching donation, bringing the total up to $47,930!

Because of you, even more clean water projects will become a reality. The board approved eight new water projects and 12 well rehabilitations at the April 2021 board meeting:

• 3 wells in Liberia

• 3 wells in Ghana

• 1 project in Malawi (Blessings Hospital)

• 1 project in Honduras (Little Hands Big Heart)

• 12 rehabs in Zambia

We are grateful and humbled by your partnership in this work!

Well Dedicated in Nankpua, Liberia, Has Immediate Impact

These photos from last Wednesday's well dedication ceremony in Nankpua, Liberia, are powerful illustrations of the immediate impact of a well.

The first photo shows our on-ground partner in Liberia, Alfred Beyan, in the blue shirt on the left shaking hands with a community leader. The second photo shows a villager's water bucket being filled by the new well. The third photo depicts the previous source from which the citizens of Nankpua used to draw water.

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:

1. By offering prayers of blessing for partners and the communities receiving the gift of water, and 

2. 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.