Anya Fonina: Running for Water to Help the Children of the Azawak

 Washington D.C. (October 31, 2010) --  Anya Fonina has a dream. She wants to make sure that the children of the Azawak Valley of West Africa never again thirst for water.  The Azawak is a region in the Republic of Niger devastated by persistent drought that has destroyed the herds of half a million nomads and forced their children to walk up to thirty miles in search of water.

To fulfill her dream, Anya is putting on her running shoes and will participate in the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31 in Washington, D.C.  She is dedicating her 26.2 mile run to the children of the Azawak, in memory of her father Dmitri, who passed away early this year.

Anya has reached out to friends and acquaintances, asking them to symbolically join her run, by contributing money to help finance the equipment needed to run the latest borehole-well built by Amman Imman, an organization that has brought water to the Azawak over the past four years, using advanced machinery to drill deep beneath the earth’s surface.

Anya's goal is to raise at least $20,000 for the families there, contributing significantly to a sustainable livelihood for them. Once there is water, many other opportunities arise -- in the form of schools, health centers, tree planting, etc.

Anya and her dad

"Everyone can do something to make the world a better place," says Anya, "and I'm inspired by the work of my dear friend Ariane Kirtley, who founded Amman Imman. I like to run long distances,  and along the way I'll be thinking of the children who must walk even further under much worse conditions, just to have water to drink. I am so happy with the response I've received from my friends, who have already contributed more than $15,000 to support my effort."

Not that long ago, the Azawak Valley was lush and fertile, with 5-6 months of rainfall. Nomads used to trek from one pasture to another with large herds of cattle and goats. Over the past decade, the Azawak has become a wasteland that receives only short bouts of erratic rainfall for a month or two each year. The people there have nowhere to go, and water gives them hope for a better tomorrow.

Amman Imman, one of the only organizations working in the area to address the water crisis, recently drilled its second borehole in Kijigari Village. Anya’s run will help pay for the remaining costs of the infrastructure, including the pumps, water fountains and animal troughs.  This borehole-well provides clean and abundant water to more than 30,000 people and animals.

Read more about Amman Imman, its efforts in Kijigari Village and how you can support Anya’s run.

Learn about Amman Imman's A Run for Water campaign, and how you can get involved, info@ammanimman.org.