Thank you for your generous gift! This report will introduce you to Shirley and her family and the impact you've made in their lives.

Welcome to Northwestern New Mexico, just off of Route 66 near the Continental Divide. Shirley and her family call this beautiful place home. 
 
Unlike most families, Shirley's family has always struggled to get enough clean water to do basic things like take a bath or cook a meal. 

But not any more.

All of that changed when you and DIGDEEP brought them running water for the first time ever.

We've prepared this report to show you your impact. Let's get started!

When we imagine life without clean water, we often think of places like Sub-Saharan Africa - communities that barely resemble our own. But at last count, an estimated 1.7 million Americans still don't have clean, running water or a flush toilet at home.

American families without clean water live lives totally different from yours. They wake up and collect water from a source outside their home, fetching it in buckets and boiling it on the stove. When desperate, many haul water from unsafe sources contaminated with bacteria, arsenic or even uranium.

DIGDEEP is the only global water organization working on projects here in the US. We're starting that work on the Navajo Nation. By focusing on low-tech, high-impact solutions, DIGDEEP is making a big impact in this area.

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Check out these photos from the project and keep reading for more information on the technology we used.

You are awesome. You really, really are. 

Thanks for sharing your hard-earned resources with a family in need. No American should live without clean, running water. Your generosity proves that we're all in this together!

Spread the word about your impact! Just copy this link to your report and post it on Facebook or Instagram - or post this photo.

COPY AND PASTE ME >> http://www.digdeepreports.org/shirley

Shirley is a hardworking grandmother who lives with her son, Orlando, and his family. Orlando and his wife, Latasha, have two kids- Alexia (age 3) and Landon (age 1). Shirley also takes care of two of her other grandchildren, Shawnett (age 13) and Karissa (age 10).

Shirley likes to listen to the radio, watch volleyball and basketball games, and make music.  She also loves to watch cartoons with her grandkids, who say they want to be police officers when they grow up. While Orlando and Latasha are at work, Shirley spends a lot of time taking care of the kids and their adorable dog, Hank. 

The family lives a very full life, but they have never had running water. They had to fill up barrels with water and haul them to and from the house for many years. This means the water is more easily contaminated, runs out quickly, and has to be heated on the stove. 

But now that DIGDEEP has installed their water system, daily life is a little bit easier! They are grateful because having running water has made cooking faster and given them more time to spend together as a family. 

CHAPTER: THOREAU CHAPTER, NAVAJO NATION

LOCATION: THOREAU, NEW MEXICO

GPS: N35.402527 E-108.223402

COMPLETED: JUNE 16, 2016

TECHNOLOGY: CISTERN

SOURCE: WATER TRUCK

LOCAL ALLY: ST. BONAVENTURE

PROJECT COST: $4,004.64

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We collect a TON of project data; this is just a snapshot.

Every DIGDEEP project uses a Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) that measures the way water access achieves other key goals like health, gender equity, and access to education. 

Every DIGDEEP project is community-led and uses locally-appropriate technology. Benefiting families contribute labor and resources, participate in the installation, and are trained to use and maintain the equipment we install.

This water system is one small part of the larger Navajo Water Project - a multi-million dollar initiative to bring clean, running water to hundreds of families in Northwest New Mexico. 

We're investing in home water systems, solar solutions, water trucking programs and new clean water sources like wells. 

Explore the whole Navajo Water project by visiting the website: digdeep.org/navajo

DIGDEEP believes in real empowerment, measurable impact and radical transparency.

We use 100% of every donation to support to communities in need. The families we serve do their part too, by contributing supplies and labor. 

When we work together, we can do amazing things.

This project uses cistern and pump technology, a reliable water storage and delivery solution for remote areas. 

Water is delivered bi-monthly to a 1200 gallon cistern buried two feet underground. By burying the cistern, water is protected from sunlight, contamination and freezing. 

Water is then pumped into the home by a Grundfos pump, through a particulate water filter and into a sink and shower. The system also uses small, in line electric water heaters. 

Each cistern system is built with the help of the benefitting family, who are taught to maintain and upgrade their system as needed. The Navajo Water Project uses local labor and sources local parts when available. 

Now that you've seen the incredible impact your gift can have, why not give again? 

It costs $14 a month to deliver water to this house. And there are hundreds of families like this one waiting for a water system of their own. 

You can sponsor that amount every month, make a new gift to a family in need or even give in someone's name.  

We'll use 100% of your gift on another project like this one, and we'll send you another impact report.