Amman Imman launches "A Run For Water" Campaign!

Join our Run for Water Campaign! Contact us at info@ammanimman.org  Laurel organized A Run for Water in 2008 Sponsor Anya and Tammy as They Run for Water! Anya Runs to Save Lives in Memory of her Father click here to go to Anya's website      Tammy Runs to Spread the Word About Wells of Love and the Azawak click here to go to Tammy's website  Read about Mary’s Incredible 12 hour Run!  Mary ran 60.85 miles in 12 hours for the Azawak, raising over $3,000  click here to read about Mary's Run Recruit Others to join our Run for Water Campaign! Recruit your friends and family to run, walk, bike, etc. for Amman Imman!  Contact us at info@ammanimman.org

Dear Friends of the Azawak,

As students Walk for Water across the world, several of our dedicated supporters “run for water”.  Our running movement began in 2006, when Laurel Lundstrom ran the Philadelphia marathon after she became “inspired to raise awareness about the plight of little girls in the Azawak who travel up to 35 miles roundtrip for water”.   In 2008, Laurel organized a “Run for Water” event in DC where runners came together and ran a 35 mile relay, representing the distance some children walk in the Azawak to find water.

This past June, Mary Ohren ran 60.85 miles in 12 hours, and raised over $3,000 to help “bring the gift of life to the wonderful people of the Azawak”.   Today, Anya Fonina and Tammy Brennan are training to run in October.  They’ve already begun reaching out to sponsors, raising money and spreading the word about the Azawak!  Anya has already raised $13,000 in one month toward her $20,000 goal!  Go  Anya's site to sponsor her. Tammy's site will be up and running soon.

Join our “Run for Water” Campaign!
As a response to this growing running trend, Amman Imman is officially launching “A Run for Water” campaign.   Please join our campaign and run in honor of the children of the Azawak.  If you aren’t a runner, consider swimming, hiking, biking, roller-blading, walking or undertaking another fun activity for which you can be sponsored and raise awareness for the Azawak!  We’ll be happy to help you, and create a web page from which you can spread the word, raise awareness, and obtain sponsorships.  Just contact us at info@ammanimman.org.

Here’s more information on some of our Amman Imman athlete heroes!

Match Anya’s Personal $500 Contribution while She Runs in Memory of her Father!
Anya Fonina, one of my dearest friends and long-time Amman Imman supporter, is training and preparing to run the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31st, in memory of her beloved father who passed away this winter.  She has chosen to use her run as a venue to help and bring attention to the Azawak.  Beyond running and reaching out to sponsors, Anya has donated $500, and now challenges her supporters to match her grant whenever they can (less or more is also highly appreciated!).  Anya has already raised over $13,000 toward her $20,000 goal for the Azawak!!!   Click here to learn more about Anya and watch her fundraising thermometer soar!  

Tammy Runs to Raise Awareness and Inspire Parents to Support Wells of Love
Tammy Brennan, one of our devoted Montessori parent supporters, aims to raise at least $5,000 by running the Army 10 miler race in Washington DC on October 24th.  Her three children, Miko, Lukas, and Alexandra, each of whom walked for water this past spring, have been her main source of inspiration: “As one of their role models, it is very important to me to teach them the importance of social responsibility and serving a greater purpose than one’s self”.  Tammy hopes to “raise awareness about the water security issues facing our brothers and sisters in the Azawak, and motivate other parents to get their children’s schools involved with Amman Imman’s Wells of Love program”.   Click here to visit Tammy's page. You can help her reach her $5000 goal!

Mary Ohren Ran 60 miles in 12 hours for the Azawak!
This past June, Mary Ohren, ran 60.85 miles in 12 hours during the Lake Merritt race in Oakland, CA.  She finished the top female runner, and fourth overall.  But Mary did not run to win, she ran as a symbolic gesture and a way to raise funds and awareness for the families she met in the Azawak.  Thanks to her run, Mary raised over $3000 for the Azawak.

Mary and I first met and became friends as Fulbright scholars in Niger in 2005: Mary as a hydro-geologist conducting work in southern Niger, and I as a public health researcher.  Mary and I traveled to the Azawak together in 2007.  Here are her compelling reflections: “What I witnessed on this trip, even though I had spent a year observing the water scarcity in the southern part of the country, was incredible. How is it that such a beautiful, caring, culture-rich people such as this should have to spend the majority of their days harvesting water? The few water points were overflowing not with water but with people and animals, men washing and sometimes drinking from the same dirty trough as the donkeys, who were straining and falling in their attempts to lift only a few 10’s of gallons of water at a time from a great depth. I saw girls waiting to fill their buckets, miles from their homes. Fetching water instead of having the opportunity to attend school. These children were not running and playing as children should. They just gazed absently, exhausted and thirsty. The journeys that people make to get water in this region can be 15 miles each way. It takes all day to bring a bit back for the family… I will be running (shuffling toward the end) for 12 hours straight, to honor Ariane and to raise money that will bring water, the gift of life, to the wonderful people of the Azawak.”  Read more about Mary’s tremendous feat by clicking here.

Thank you Mary, Anya, Tammy, Laurel, and everyone else that has dedicated their precious energy in solidarity with the Azawak!!  Your actions and footsteps have made and will continue to make an incredible difference!  I hope that you will be joined by many many more!!

Sincerely yours, for the children of the Azawak!
Ariane