How to Save an African Starfish

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by Kristin Allen

While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman came across a young man picking up starfish, one by one, and tossing each one gently back into the water.

He called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

Sometimes, world issues can seem so big, and human suffering so great, that people can’t imagine how as an individual, they can make a difference. When you are dealing with a water scarcity crisis that impacts around 1.2 billion people (almost one-fifth of the world’s population), it seems even more hopeless. However, it is BECAUSE the problem is so enormous that everyone MUST get involved.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of water-stressed countries of any region on that continent. Niger is the second poorest country in the world. What is the main reason why 1 in 7 infants and children die in rural Niger before the age of 5? Drinking contaminated water. So the bottom line is…. safe water is key, because safe water saves lives.

Wells Bring Hope is saving lives in Niger by drilling wells to bring safe water and sanitation to rural villages. They rely on people like you and me to raise money to help them do it. Once lives are saved by providing safe, clean water to villages, then the people of Niger can actually start LIVING!!

Women and girls walk 4-6 miles a day to get water and with all of their time taken up by this task, girls can’t go to school. When a well is drilled, girls are able to go to school, and women can spend their new found time earning an income through microloans provided by Wells Bring Hope…..and mothers can stop living in constant fear that contaminated water is going to kill their children.

So look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do I want to save some lives today?” If the answer is “yes”, then you can make it happen through Wells Bring Hope.

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Drought vs. Donors in Niger

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by Jessi Johnson

{photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann}

Livestock is life for a family in Niger—the means to pay the dowry for a future bride, the inheritance left for a son, the milk and money that keeps a family alive day to day. The people of Niger are directly linked to their animals and caring for the results in a healthier community. So it is a clear sign of their desperation that the people are selling their livestock—for half the normal value—for a chance to feed their children.

What would bring a people so close to despair that they would willingly sell their daily means of survival, as well their cultural inheritance? Drought after drought after drought has ravaged the homelands of the people for whom selling their last camel, cow or goat is like selling their house and car, just to buy groceries. To make matters worse, Just 15 percent of the land is arable enough to produce food or raise the precious livestock, meaning that most of the country’s farming population is struggling to survive. In a predominantly rural economy, 80 percent of the people rely on subsistence agriculture to survive.

{photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann} {photo credit: ILRI}

Now, for the third time in the last ten years, the country is suffering through a drought. This drought is perhaps no different or harsher than the droughts Niger has survived over the decades. What makes it stand out is the pre-emptive measures taken against it by aid agencies; measures that failed to attract the global attention the drought or the Niger people needed. More than 5 million people in the Sahel region are affected by this drought, and aid organizations wanted to move early before the dire situation became a crisis, but preventative measures are a hard sell when there is no proof to show donors.

We are proud of the work that our partner, World Vision, is doing to provide food relief but it too doesn’t have all that it needs for adequate relief. For Niger, the gap is $4.4 million out of a $16 million relief budget. The rains have returned, but that doesn't mean that food is instantly available, and along with the rain comes flooding that leads to devastating cholera outbreaks. General food distribution, cash transfers, and supplementary feeding programs must continue.

{photo credit: EC/ECHO}

The good news is that within the last decade, rich oil deposits have been discovered in Niger and it has enough uranium to become the world’s second-largest exporter of the element. Oil and uranium are two of the global economy’s most sought-after commodities, and if managed correctly, could make Niger one of the more stable and balanced countries in the African continent.

Reference:

Sale of Niger nomad's last camel is sign of camel – Sacramento Bee

Women and the WASH Crisis

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by Lauren Adamson

Jeanette A. Brown, Ph.D. spoke about how women have the potential to help alleviate the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) crisis. At the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Brown explained that women in rural communities of developing countries often lack access to clean water and hygienic waste facilities. Women in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa fear using nearby latrines because of the risk of sexual assault, whereas the men in most of these communities can relieve themselves in undesignated areas, Brown explained.

Brown also pointed out that women must be seen as a resource in solving this problem and the issue of safe water because, “Women are more likely to commit to projects since they see the value for their children and the community at large. A study by the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) of community water and sanitation projects in 88 communities found that projects designed and run with the full participation of women are more sustainable and effective than those that do not.” At Wells Bring Hope, we have long understood the important role that women must play in transforming villages with safe water. When we drill a well, a committee is formed to oversee and administer that well, and the committee must be at least fifty percent female. In addition, we provide microloans to the women in villages where we drill so that they may use the time they would have spent walking for water to develop small businesses. As Brown points out, if women were given more opportunities like these to work together and be leaders in WASH projects, their work would go a long way in helping their communities and ending the worldwide water crisis.

To read more about Brown’s speech and women helping the WASH crisis, see Women Could Play Key Role in Correcting Crisis in Clean Drinking Water and Sanitation Crisis, published in Science Daily.

Volunteer/Supporter Appreciation Barbecue

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by Jessica Isaac

On August 12, WBH Founder and President Barbara Goldberg hosted the annual Wells Bring Hope Volunteer/Supporter Appreciation Barbecue at her home in Los Angeles. The grill was fired up as guests mingled in the California heat, enjoying the shaded backyard and getting to know each other.

{Brad Driggers and Barbara Goldberg}
{Nick Privatelli mans the grill}
{The Frazee Family} {Nate Damodaran and Nathan Chong}
{Lauren McCluskey, daughter Lia, and Gil Garcetti} {Sharon Croskery and Tamara Hoffman}

Local musician Xander Smith of Run, Run, Run played an acoustic set while Daniel Yadlosky (videographer) and Kristin Allen (interviewer) took the opportunity to conduct short interviews with the WBH volunteers and supporters to see what really drives the people behind WBH.

{Daniel Yadlosky films while Kristin Allen interviews
Dennis Ogojo and Rosario Lopez of L.A. High}		 {Xander Smith of Run, Run, Run}
{WBH Director of Microfinance Hadiara Diallo with L.A. students Rosario Lopez and Dennis Ojogho and Dennis’ mom, Esther}
{The Kareem Team – Rosalie, Abigail, and Stephanie} {The Kilroy family and Barbara Goldberg}
{Mandana Azad, Barbara Goldberg, Gil Garcetti, and Alan Azad} {Melissa}
{Rosalie checks out her raffle prize – a copy of Water is Life by our own Gil Garcetti} {Kevin Kilroy and Kaira Robertson}

The evening’s presentation began with many thanks from Barbara to those who have donated their time and efforts to WBH. She then presented Dennis Ojogho, a supporter who raised money for WBH by starting a Water Circle at L.A. High, with a graduation gift and congratulated him on his acceptance to Harvard! Dennis then spoke briefly about his involvement with Wells Bring Hope and credited his mother Esther, a native of Nigeria, with inspiring his passion for bringing safe water to West Africa. Finally, another volunteer was highlighted as Nancy Nagel, WBH Grant Team Director, presented the Volunteer of the Year award to Nathan Damodaran.

{Barbara Goldberg thanking Dennis Ojogho} {Dennis and his mom, Esther}
{Volunteer of the Year – Nate Damodaran}

Gil Garcetti, former L.A. County District Attorney and Vice President of WBH kicked off the next round of speakers, one of whom was WBH Director of Microfinance Hadiara Diallo. Diallo shared her experiences going from growing up in Niger, a country where women have no hopes and dreams, to witnessing an increase in hope as WBH provides safe water and microfinance programs to Nigerien women. Kareem Ahmed, Wells Bring Hope’s biggest individual donor, rounded out the evening with inspiring words about his humble beginnings and how giving back has shaped who he is today.

{Gil Garcetti} {Hadiara Diallo} {Kareem Ahmed}
{Kareem Ahmed, Barbara Goldberg, and Gil Garcetti}

{Video by Daniel Yadlosky}

Visiting the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center

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by Laurie Reemeyer

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center in Seattle. The center opened in February of this year, and showcases the innovative work that the foundation’s partners are doing to address difficult challenges in the developing world in health and poverty alleviation, and in the United States through education. The foundation is guided by the belief that all lives have equal value, and that every person deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life.

The center describes the history of the foundation, and showcases studies of programs and their impact through static and interactive displays and films. It also describes the methodology through which the foundation identifies opportunities and works to solve problems. There is a strong focus on measuring impact to ensure that funds are being invested effectively to solve significant problems.

One of the displays at the center is focused on the burden of carrying water in Africa. Visitors can feel how heavy a bucket of water is, and a series of footprints help demonstrate the lengths many women and children have to take each day for water. Wells Bring Hope is raising awareness and funds to tackle this exact problem in Niger.

The center has a number of interactive displays where visitors can contribute ideas or evaluate their skills and preferences for working on a cause. There is also a Cause Board, where visitors are invited to share a cause that they support. I took the opportunity, as a donor and volunteer for Wells Bring Hope, to promote our organization.

If you are visiting Seattle, I highly recommend a visit to the center. It really made me think about some of the major challenges in the world and the important part we are we are all playing the solutions.

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Service is Joy

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Wells Bring Hope volunteer Ida Harding, pictured above, knows a thing or two about service. She is a long-time member of our organization and has twice made the difficult journey to Niger. Ida volunteered to be the second camera person just prior to her first trip and got a “crash course” in videography. She is responsible for many frames of footage obtained on both trips. Ida’s on-going support has been invaluable and, as you can see above, her radiance and fun-loving spirit is a joy to behold. You can read about her experiences in her own words on her Water Circle page.

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A Model of Hope and Perseverance from Niger

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by Kate Cusimano

Dominated by the vast expanse of the Sahara, Niger, the second poorest country in the world, is 80% desert. It is also landlocked, plagued by near-constant drought, and at the epicenter of the world water crisis. 68% of Nigeriens lack access to clean water, 87% lack adequate sanitation, fewer than 30% of adults are literate. There is not a single rowboat or scull in the entire country. Basically, it is the last place on earth that you would expect to produce a hero of Olympic rowing. Yet this week, one of the biggest stories to come out of the Games in London is that of Hamadou Dijbo Issaka, a gardener from Niamey, the capital of Niger, who is competing in the Olympics as the sole member of his nation’s rowing team.

 

Now, to be clear, Hamadou has not actually won any races in London. In fact he has finished dead last in each of the three races he completed this week. What he lacks in athletic prowess, however, he more than makes up for in heart, and that fact has won him fans around the world. Each time he crosses the finish line, visibly fatigued and slumping over his oars, it is to the crushing applause of a packed grandstand, everyone standing to cheer him on. In his first Olympic race, even the announcer joined in – shouting, “You can do it,” as Hamadou pulled across the finish line nine minutes behind the winner and close to two minutes after his closest competitor.

To call Hamadou an underdog is a gross understatement. That he made it to the Olympics at all is almost unfathomable. Four months ago, the father of two had never even been in a boat, had watched rowing only on television. Due to Niger’s lack of resources, much of his training was completed in a traditional fishing boat. When Hamadou first stepped foot in a scull during a two-week training period in Egypt, he fell overboard, a fact that would embarrass many would-be Olympians. Hamadou, however, recounts the story with a smile saying, “…it was lucky I can swim.”

Hamadou’s perseverance even when the deck was stacked against him is representative of the spirit of his countrymen, a people who are familiar with carrying on in the face of the seemingly insurmountable odds of famine, drought, locusts, and crushing poverty. Hamadou freely admits that he lacks skill and experience but insists that, “It’s all about courage.”

 

Despite his poor performance in London and his age, at 35 Hamadou is at least a decade older than most of his opponents, he is determined to keep training and to return to the Olympics despite the obstacles. Proper rowboats have been ordered and are scheduled to arrive in late August. “At the moment we don’t have any boats, but maybe…Inshallah [God willing]…we might.”

Sources:

The Daily Mail

The Guardian

Witnessing Famine Relief in Niger, West Africa

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by Barbara Goldberg

{grain storage with rapidly dwindling reserves}

When we visited Niger in January 2012, we saw the beginning of the famine that was coming to wreak havoc on the Sahel, West Africa. As we drove into the village of Miyaki where we had drilled a well three years earlier, we saw mothers lined up to have their children evaluated for malnutrition and to receive food supplements that our partner, World Vision, was distributing. Wells Bring Hope is very proud of the work that we do to deliver safe water to some of the poorest people in the world; we are equally proud to be affiliated with a humanitarian organization like World Vision that is doing so much to alleviate the food crisis in West Africa.

As we saw the suffering of the women and children at the clinic, it was heart-breaking to know that the worst was yet to come. It was even more devastating to know that many in other parts of the country will receive no food supplements, will have no access to help at all. Remember, this is the second poorest country in the world, with a government equally as poor.

{a nurse preparing to treat malnourished children}

The famine is the outcome of the most severe drought Niger has suffered in many, many years, and droughts have become increasingly frequent. The rainy season started in late June and we can only hope that it will last a long time and enable crops to grow, providing food for the people.

As of mid-June, feeding centers across the country have admitted and treated 130,596 children under the age of 5 for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and close to 200,000 have received treatment for Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). (See video link below to view children being evaluated and categorized.)

Despite the fact that, since April, each day an average of 1,000 new cases of SAM are admitted for treatment, the system is coping with the increased workload, which, overall, remains below the levels recorded during the 2010 crisis.

This is likely due to the massive treatment of MAM cases, averaging over 10,000 per week, as well as to the early response measures to contain food insecurity and malnutrition, put in place in November 2011.

Watch the video filmed, edited and narrated by Daniel Yadlosky of our experience in the village of Miyaki and see famine relief in action.

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