I Am Change and the Hydrate Hope Project are providing water for all National Worship Leader Conferences in 2010 with the hope that all leaders will encourage their people to join the I Am Change movement.  We literally can change the world if churches and ministry leaders will engage their congregations and friends to use Hydrate Hope Project water.  Anyone can purchase water from The Hydrate Hope Project by going to http://hydratehope.com/

In light of the current economy we are really working to be diligent, creative and good stewards of how we are implementing and funding projects. And, by creating simple ways for people to get involved, we are seeing real change happen across the developing world. The reality is that approximately 50% of the charitable aid across the globe comes out of the USA. However, when our economy takes any type of downturn, typically the first thing to go from people’s budgets is their charitable giving. This not only changes the performance of US charities, but for those of us working in the developing world, with the poorest of the poor, it greatly affects the recipients of that aid. And this is what is so grieving. So, how can we still provide a strong impact but not be crippled if the economy vacillates?…we think 10 Can is going to help this. Most people, we believe, will be willing to give a simple $10/Month (less than 33 Cents/Day). And it’s amazing the impact that we’ve been able to create for this $10 Month.

In our daily lives $10 mostly means 2 Lattes, A Cheeseburger meal, or a Bottled Water at a Major League Baseball Game (almost anyway!!!). BUT through 10 Can it means Clean Water for 10 People for an ENTIRE YEAR, AND Sending a child to school, AND Feeding a Family, AND Eyeglasses for someone in the developing world, AND Shoes for a child in poverty, AND an Insecticide treated bednet for a family to prevent Malaria, AND Planting 10 Trees in a reforestation project, AND Assisting a developing world entrepreneur with a micro loan that will help them work out of poverty, AND Medications for a Child affected by HIV, AND Aftercare assistance for a child rescued from the snares of Human Trafficking and Oppression. WOW!!! Seriously, this is powerful huh?!?

Keep your eyes out, join our mailing list, and get ready to change the world, $10 at a time. And, we want you to invite others along for the journey as well. It’s really not worth sitting on the sidelines and wondering what it’s like to get involved in changing the lives of others. Do something…be the change!

Caroline threw a pool party at her house, invited her friends to come, but instead of bringing gifts for her, she asked for donations to I Am Change for Hydrate Hope. She raised $700 that night from her teenage friends. Then we had a opportunity to leverage that $700 in a donor match and turn it in to $1,400. That’s incredible!!! What that means is that clean water has now been made a reality for people in the developing world because a 16 year old, All-American girl decided she wanted to make an impact. Wow!!! That’s really what I Am Change is all about: everyday people, changing the world. It’s not just rock stars, movie stars and billionaires who are making things happen; it’s real, authentic, compassionate people….like Caroline.

The Indian government has done some work in rural areas to drill wells for the people of their country in light of the Millenium Development goals of the UN. However, I recently stood and watched hundreds of Dalit, across several communities, stand in close proximity to a well that they were not “allowed” to use. Women and children would wait with an empty water container in hopes that someone would have enough compassion and mercy to allow them the opportunity to draw water from their handpump. This was amazing to me! Literally, to watch people, humans, flesh and blood, our fellow man, stand in wait for mercy to be shown for a basic human right. I mean, they were 25 feet from a fresh water source that they weren’t privileged to access. It was either mercy, or back to the grossly polluted, open-faced cesspool of a well that was located in close proximity to their home. This was a common site as we made our trek several hours South of Coimbatore, India.

The great news is that The Hydrate Hope Project is bringing hope to the Dalit! Through partnering with Thirst Relief and local implementers at SWAP Trust, we are seeing villages transformed through access to clean water and sanitation, and hygiene training as well. Thanks to dedicated workers like Paul Rajan, injustice is being confronted and hope is being brought about in real, tangible ways! One can’t help but think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 when he was talking about “the least of these” in this world. To walk alongside the Dalit, to see them as real people when even those around them might not, is to embrace these words, “what you do unto these least of these, you do unto me”. Thank you for your partnership, your giving, your encouragement….Thank you for choosing to be the change that so many around our world are in need of.