We love H2O for Life's commitment to inspiring the next generation of global changemakers to make an impact on the world water crisis today!
My wife and I had the honor of touring H20 For Life projects in Kenya with founder Patty Hall in February before the pandemic changed our lives. It was encouraging to see first hand the impact that H20 projects have had on entire communities in these impoverished parts of the world. Some of the projects we saw have been providing clean water and bathroom facilities to schools for over a decade, and we had the privilege of seeing the original project installed at Kathungu Primary School. Still fully functional and improving the quality of life for the students and the residents of the surrounding community. It's important to us to support projects that are sustainable and provide the most benefit to the people they serve. This wonderful organization does so much good for so many people!
H2O for Life not only has done amazing work bringing safe water and sanitation to schools in the developing world, it has helped students in my community see that they have the power and the ability to make a positive impact on the world. H2O for Life helped my students become more empathetic to others and leaders in the community.
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Over the past 6 years, my students have gained such a global perspective from H2O for Life. Knowing exactly where their donations go make it easy for students to have a personal stake in their actions.
H2O for Life makes an amazing impact for students in developing countries by bringing them water, BUT the impact they have on my students is just as impactful by showing that they have a voice and power in taking action!
I work with El Porvenir, a long time partner of H2O for Life. I've met multiple staff members at H2O for Life, and all are stellar: committed to working with schools in the US and throughout the world. Having water and sanitation services at schools is crucial for keeping children in school and allowing them to focus on their studies rather than worry about where they'll use the bathroom or being thirsty. We're honored to work with them on multiple school projects every year to help children around the world achieve an education.
Our names are Isabel Birkeland and Sydney Peterson. We have worked with the H20 for Life non-profit for 5 years. We first learned about the non-profit when we were babysitting for two girls in our neighborhood. They told us about their exciting day at school that involved everyone participating in a Walk for Water. That’s when we had the idea of starting a Walk for Water in our local community. We were inspired by these elementary school students who were able to raise $5,000 for a school in Kenya for children to have access to safe clean drinking water. That’s how our idea began… over the past 5 years we have raised over $15,000 for H20 for Life and their efforts to provide wells, handwashing stations, latrines, and hygiene education in developing communities. Without H20 for Life’s mission, children and women would have to walk up to 8 hours a day to collect unsanitary water. Now with H20 for Life, these communities have access to clean water and sanitation, and girls especially have the opportunity to obtain an education that will better their community, their society, for generations to come. Furthermore, we have a great relationship with the staff at H20 for Life and we can attest to their remarkable drive to create meaningful impacts upon these communities.
H20 for Life is an awesome organization in which kids are helping kids! My students learned about the water crisis and came up with many fundraising ideas to help support water and sanitation projects in places where water is scarce. My kids are becoming global citizens and now know that they can make a huge difference in someone’s life. H2O for Life supports teachers and classrooms with curriculum, fundraising, guest speakers and more! This organization has changed the lives of kids, and adults, near and far.
Ten years into volunteering for H2O for Life I still stand amazed at the impact. In 12 years we have engaged, educated and inspired teachers and students in 47 of the 50 States in the US. We have students who started the program in middle school who have been so inspired that they asked our founder Patty Hall to take them to the clean water and sanitation sites in Kenya. They are forever changed by the experience.
I have seen the impact in person at schools in the US and I had the privilege to hold up signs over newly installed wells in Uganda thanking the work of US students.
I often think H2O for Life inspires empathy which is an important component to peace in our worlds. The US schools get completed project pictures and communications from the receiving students. The school to school connection is priceless.
We are fiscally responsible. The funds raised by students are matched with funds raised by in country NGO's. The NGO's require the communities getting the water, sanitation and hygiene project must learn how to care for the wells. Sustainability is a key component.
I am proud to be Board Chair...
My company has been working with H2O for Life for several years. They are an absolute pleasure to work with, and we're proud to be a supporter and patron.
H2O for Life is educating a generation of youth who are learning that their actions have global impact. Students learn about the global water crisis and the impact of water scarcity and pollution in their own back yards as well as worldwide. Through a service-learning project to raise funds, kids in a partner school receive access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education that is life-changing. Both participants and recipients benefit through H2O for Life’s service-learning program. Go Water Warriors!
H2O for Life is a great organization that is making critical strides in Africa's water crisis. Not only do fund different water projects by raising money in schools, but they also leverage their school fundraising to create service learning opportunities for students. In all their work, they maintain a commitment to working with excellent implementing partners, which has always made it easy for my organization to partner and collaborate with their team.
I have used H20 For Life in my middle school social studies classroom for a number of years. It has transformed school culture, students' awareness of the global/local water crisis, and it brought about a habit of giving.
My students also learned about the culture of the country we were helping. Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia are just a few examples of the areas of the world that my students have studied.
It is rare where a non-profit can benefit not only a school in a developing part of the world that is need of fresh water, but also students of the United States who learn the culture, water crisis, and the great habit of generosity!
H2O for Life is great. We have worked closely with H20 for many years now and we have appreciated their support with our school projects here in Nicaragua. Also, it is important how H2O makes the connection from the US schools to the international schools and helps the kids see that there are different situations and perspectives in the world beyond their home town. It is so important to see those connections between kids.
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H2O for Life is a great non-profit, if you'll permit that redundancy. We have worked closely with H20 for many years now and we have appreciated their support with our school projects here in Nicaragua. Also, it is important how H2O makes the connection from the US schools to the international schools and helps the kids see that there are different situations and perspectives in the world beyond their home town - I wish there had been a H2O for Life when I was a kid!
H2O for Life is a recipe for success. Into a large bowl first add a helping of dedicated office staff who are also selfless volunteers. Mix in a dollop of personal volunteers committed to the cause and add a large amount of sponsors whose generosity keeps the bowl full, and give a gentle stir. Now fold in a heaping amount of tireless teachers who work with the excellent curriculum provided free of charge from H2O for Life, that allows them the opportunity to instill in their students empathy, vision and the power to see the world beyond their world. Pour into a large pan and bake till golden brown.
Make the frosting.....into a bottomless bowl add children of all ages whose hearts are filled to the brim with compassion and determination to make the world a better place for their fellow students around the world.
Drizzle generously. Served daily.
Lori Stoltzman
H20 For Life is a great way for our youth to learn how they can make a positive impact in the world. Too often, we believe there is nothing we can do to help. H2O For Life shows students how they can make a difference and it empowers them to carry this passion forward for the rest of their lives.
I am an elementary PE teacher at an IB school in White Bear Lake, MN. Our school has been blessed with our partnership with H2O for Life over the years. Not only does this nonprofit provide schools in the US an unique opportunity to connect and help a school in a developing world, but they also provide valuable resources and often will spend time at our school helping us understand the global water crisis and how we can conserve water right in our own school, homes and communities. They are helping develop a generation of young globally-minded citizens who care for others and for the world. H2O for Life is making a significant difference in the world and making it a better place to live for so many people.
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Over the past 6 years I have had the privilege to partner with H2O for Life. I am an elementary teacher and our school has raised over $18,000 in partnership with H2O for Life for schools in developing countries to gain access to clean water. Uganda, South Sudan, India, and Guatemala and the countries our school has had an impact. Not only does H2O for Life make a difference in the lives of young people in developing countries, the students in the USA also gain so many life lessons through the service learning and gain such a valuable global perspective. Check out this link of two of my students who presented at the "Water Ball" a year ago.
Kenya Rainwater Association (KRA) has been implementing Schools WASH Program in Kenya, which is co-funded by H2O for Life (USA). Under this collaboration, H2O for Life establishes partnerships between supporting schools in USA, and benefiting schools in Kenya, which allow mobilization of financial resources for implementing improved WASH projects.
This partnership has been in existence for over a decade and has improved WASH in more than 50 rural primary schools in Kenya, whose condition of water and sanitation were pathetic.
We at Kenya Rainwater Association applaud the efforts and support of H2O for Life (USA) for their unending love and concern for our poor rural Kenyan primary schools' WASH Conditions.
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Kenya Rainwater Association has been in partnership with H2o for Life (U.S.A) for more than a decade now and the partnership has seen more than 50 Kenyan rural primary schools get new gender segregated latrines and Masonry water tanks .
Children are the most important resource in a society and their well-being especially while in school affects their day to day life in terms of good performance and emotional growth. Creating a conducive learning environment is therefore an essential factor to consider in achieving this goal. For this reason, Kenya Rainwater Association in partnership with H2o for Life (USA) has made it a priority to provide access to clean and safe water and proper sanitation facilities in primary schools, which in most Kenyan rural settings still remains a huge challenge and a contributing factor to school drop outs and poor performance. The intervention views children as agents of change in the promotion and adoption of best practices in the community and society at large. It focuses on the following core principles:
Increase sustainable water availability for drinking through construction of rainwater harvesting systems (roof catchment water storage tank)
Improve sanitation and good hygiene practices in school through construction of gender-sensitive improved latrines three blocks VIP for boys , girls and teachers; and
Build the capacity and increase knowledge of local communities on rainwater harvesting, improved sanitation, health & hygiene (WASH).
The above would have not have been possible without the help of of H2o for life , their staff are also very friendly, available and reliable.
We at Kenya Rainwater Association and all the pupils served say a BIG THANK YOU to H2o for Life (U.S.A)
H2O for Life is a fantastic Non-Profit. Leading an H2O for Life project was one of my favorite experiences as a teacher and the organization made it so easy. It is a very meaningful way to engage your students in a global issue.
H20 for Life has been an incredible partner to Freshwater Project International. For the past three years, they have connected us with schools in the Us to raise funds for water projects in Malawi, Africa. Together, we have implemented comprehensive water and sanitation projects at 5 schools in rural areas. The results and impact have been incredible! See the video attached and direct any questions to info@freshwaternintl.org
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We have been partnering with H20 for Life on a project to provide water and sanitation to schools in Malawi, Africa. They have been great to work with and have been so supportive in connecting us with partner schools here in the US who commit to raise funds for our efforts. What a wonderful organization! Heidi Rickels, Freshwater Project International
My now grown children participated in H2O for Life programs in middle school and still talk about the experience. H2O for Life helped to form them into the caring and wonderful adults they are today. H2O for Life provides essential support around the globe and educational opportunities to raise awareness and develop empathy here at home. These are great people doing great work. I am proud to support their efforts.
I have literally seen H2O For Life change the lives of White Bear Lake students. I have met NGO partners who are in awe of how the organization supports their constituents. And, as a donor, I am pleased with how much of dollars donated go to actual projects, not overhead.
I have worked with H2o for Life for four years and watched how they have created an innovative model to involve young people in the global water crisis. Their methods establish long term relationships between Americans and people around the globe who need better access to clean water.
H2O For life has been helping our nonprofit bring potable water, hygiene facilities and proper hygiene training to schools throughout rural Guatemala. We are especially fond of the idea that throughout the process, children in the US are being educated on the situation in developing countries and are connected to the solutions they help to provide. Over the years, h2O for life has helped us improve the hygiene of several thousand schoolchildren. They provide an excited way to connect US schools to schools across the world.
H2O For Life partners US schools who raise funds to help third world schools in Africa obtain clean drinking water through cachement systems or wells, and hygiene through creation of flush toilets, bathrooms and sustaining them. They partner with Proctor and Gamble and Rotary Clubs across the nation to multiply the funds, as well as other partner organizations. These efforts are saving lives in the third world and saving girls from well documented sexual predation because they have to wander in the bush to meet their needs! This non-profit is saving lives, building community, and training our youth to fundraise for a cause bigger than themselves. It is truly a great, great organization!
We in India have been engaged with H2O for life for about 5 years now. They are a well organized and very committed nonprofit. It has been a great experience for us working with them and we wish them all the best moving forward.
H20 For Life has inspired me to motivate and teach over 1000 kids over the past 10 years about the local and global water crisis and raise over $50,000 to help people in 3rd world countries get access to clean water.
H2O For Life provides meaningful lessons and action opportunities for students in the United States. In partnership with this organization as a teacher, I have witnessed amazing student learning and increased engagement by students who sometimes find school to be a struggle. They have learned about the global water crisis and have planned action projects to raise funds for partner schools in places such as Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Nicaragua over the past 10 years. Students are clearly excited and interested in knowing more and using creative ways to make a difference. I am proud to have worked with this organization and I plan to continue my partnership with H2O For Life for years to come.
H2O For Life is an amazing organization! Their relatively small but highly effective staff does an incredible job of showing donors exactly where their money is going and exactly who they are helping. The non-profit organization I work with has collaborated with H2O For Life for more than a decade and I have had nothing but great experiences with them.
The people running the organization are smart, kind, focussed and hard working. Exactly the kind of people you want running a non-profit organization. I have spent time with them in Uganda, in their offices and even in their homes and I continue to remain impressed by their dedication, integrity and work ethic. We are proud to call them friends and are looking forward to working together for many years to come.
I have been a board member of H2O For Life for several years. The concept of having a positive impact in improving the lives of children in developing countries through the volunteer efforts of students in this country is amazing. The service learning experience not only raises funds for clean water projects , it also raises awareness about the critical role water plays for all of us.
I've heard many stories from enthusiastic students who have participated in efforts to help fund water projects in developing countries. It is interesting to hear how theses efforts have impacted their lives. I've read accounts of how these projects in developing countries are improving the lives of children and allowing them to go to school.
The continued focus of H2O For Life is on its ability to engage more students in more schools to become involved in funding water projects as well as reaching out to individuals and organizations for their support in our effort.
My participation with this organization has been rewording.
H2O for Life has been a fantastic partner for Water for South Sudan, helping to raise over $250,000 to drill wells in South Sudan since 2010. Their passion for clean water, and motivating young people to help change the world is an inspiration. We are honored to work with them!
H2O For Life has been partnering with Lifewater International to bring clean water, health and hope to vulnerable school children since 2012. They have been such a joy to partner with! Because of H2O for Life, thousands of school children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to go to school with a clean water source and toilets have now been served. We love that they engage schools and students living here in the U.S. to help serve other schools and students suffering because of the water crisis.
The change that they are making possible is amazing. In these photos you can see the new water well that they made possible for the students at Shasho Primary School in Ethiopia. Before that all 332 student gathered water from the puddle you can see in the photo. Without H2O For Life this wouldn't be possible!
Beyond being a director, I am also a parent of 3 children who have been positively impacted by H2O for Life. H2O for Life has inspired my children to learn about global water issues and to take action locally to make a difference globally.
There are several organizations out there fighting the global water crisis. H2O for Life approaches the problem from a different angle; they empower school children to take action and make a difference. With the H2O for Life model, our children not only learn about the global water crisis, but also cultivate empathy for others and gain skills in civic action and leadership in the process. H2O for Life is creating immediate relief and investing in a long-term solution all at the same time.
H2O for life does amazing work, harnessing the creativity, interest and uniquer passion of young people and using that as a driving force for change in Africa. I love the way they unite kids from totally different places toward a common cause.
I love working for H2O for Life! We provide a connection between US and global students focusing on safe water and sanitation. If your school is looking for an impactful service learning project, check out H2O for Life!
I have worked with H2O for Life for many years. I am so impressed with their commitment to bringing clean water and sanitation to schools in Africa. This partnership means that African students have clean water and latrines. This is especially important to ensure that girls go to school and stay in school. and learn about hygiene. And to do this their approach of involving schools in the U.S. as partners. It's a win, win! Terrific organization!