It started with an email from Dr. Sheryl Simmons,. She heard about our clean water program, Servants of Living Water, from Angela Hospice in Livonia, MI. She reached out to us and wanted to hear our story. She is director of a program that engages youth to work out a plan for a well to be dug in a needed area. This program is sponsored by the United Nations.

The purpose of this Work Around the World for Water (WAWW) initiative is to develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding youth need to become influential leaders within the water sector.

Goals include the following:

1. Increase participants’ understanding of the concept of leadership.
2. Increase participants’ understanding of and appreciation for cultural diversity.
3. Assist participants in developing specific skills needed for effective leadership.
4. Provide participants with a process for examining pertinent issues surrounding the water crisis facing their local and global communities.
5. Increase participants’ awareness of themselves and how they relate to others; and
6. Provide opportunities for participants to apply their knowledge, skills, and understandings through meaningful services to the community.
   Program Values and Assumptions
   Youth for Global Health & Social Justice programs

Work Around the World for Water attempts to bridge a gap between theory on leadership, community leadership, and leadership development with actual practice in leadership development for youth. Implementation of this project and subsequent evaluation of the project’s success would provide still more information that could be used to improve both the specific project and similar community-based youth leadership development projects.

These are ideas that we have been trying to do with our youth over the years. We have extended our clean water program, with the help of a generous donor(s), by getting wells to a school, parish and its community, as well as on our own property for our children.

When God showed us this door, we knew we had to open it and walk through. We are aware of another community in Marigot, which is desperate for clean running water. So we decided to get on board. We already have six young people involved, who will have their orientation class for the program on Tuesday, July 19.

On Friday, July 15, we had visited the school that is in need of the well. About 760 children and teens go to this school, which has no running water. In order to have water, they must buy it!

Our youth now have to present their proposal, learn about the water needed, learn how to test the water, and be a part of the process for the money in order for a well to be dug. Please keep this new project in your prayers. Everyone deserves to have clean water!