Tapping Water for the World

A community service project by the
Tesuque After-School Program (TAP)

Project Results

Project Summary

Santa Fe New Mexican News Article

7 Project Results in the Spirit of 7 Generations:

1. The kids from Tesuque After-School Program (TAP) came up with this project idea to help do something in support of the billion+ people in the world who struggle because of water – either from not having access to it or getting water borne diseases.
2. 30 Tribal members, mostly children, completed a 4.5 mile Walk-a-thon on March 22nd (World Water Day) from the Intergenerational Center to the Tesuque Village Market to show solidarity with the millions of families worldwide who have to walk this same distance every day to get water in order to survive.
3. Working with project partners, The Tesuque After-School Program (TAP) has sold several hundred sport bottles to raise money to build a water system at a school in Chad, Africa which has dire needs.
4. TAP and the Climate Change Leaddership Institute has not done this project alone but rather we have formed wonderful partnerships inside and outside the community. Partners inside the community include the Pueblo of Tesuque Governor and Administration, the Education and Environment Departments, Camel Rock Casino, other generous Departments and many helpful family and community members. Partners outside the community include Crystal Springs Water (who paid for the original sport bottles and purchased 50 of them for re-sale), the Tesuque Village Market (who purchased 40 of them for re-sale), Bike & Sport, Wells Fargo, Cloud Cliff Bakery, Alpine Sports, El Gancho, La Fonda Hotel, the Cowgirl restaurant, Guadalupe Barbershop, Body, Las Palomas, Santa Fe Secondary, Wild Oats, Santa Fe Southern Railway, many other organizations and so many caring individuals.
5. To-date we have raised over $3,000 and counting. The money will be sent to Global Green USA (Michael Gorbachev’s organization working for universal access to clean and affordable water) and used exclusively for building the rainwater harvesting system in Africa. Global Green USA has responded: “We are very grateful to the Pueblo of Tesuque children who have contributed so imaginatively to this project. This kind of gift really touches our hearts.”
6. In interacting with the public and selling the sport bottles to reduce the number of people without access to water, Tapping Water for the World has also raised awareness here at home of the need to conserve and care for our limited, precious water resources and to please not take water for granted.
7. Finally, the project has helped develop youth leadership abilities – the youth came up with the idea to help a school in Africa get access to water and to sell sport bottles to raise money for this, and the youth enacted the idea by moving their feet in the walk-a-thon, selling sport bottles and presenting the project before the Futures Youth Leadership Summit and at the community’s Earth Day event. Through this project, the youth have developed values and skills of teamwork, communication and service to others – which is vital to sustain our life on earth.