Clean water for God's thirsty children
On the Cutting Edge of Life-Saving Technology
Two young women in Haiti takes sips of clean water during training sessions for new Water Women.
Using Mapping Technology To Save Lives in Haiti and Around the World

By Rebecca Stutsman
Chief Development Officer

When you visit our Water With Blessings website, you can click on our world map and see how many Water Women have already been equipped in any of the 48 countries where we work.

We rely on GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software every day at Water With Blessings, as we follow the training and progress of equipped Water Women who prevent water-borne diseases among their families and neighbors, making clean water flow by using Sawyer PointONE filters.

At the upcoming Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP) Conference, Executive Director Sr. Larraine Lauter and GIS specialist Brian Hsiao will highlight the ways Water With Blessings uses this special mapping software – how we connect with our country teams and link our donors with Water Women so that they can see first-hand the benefits of their giving.

Since the devastating earthquake in Haiti on August 14, our team has participated in weekly briefings led by U.S. Southern Command coordinating relief efforts involving the U.S. military and nonprofit organizations. The lead relief unit for Southern Command was so impressed with our detailed map of Haiti, they invited Sr. Larraine to share it so that other nonprofits could add their relief efforts to the map. Because of this, all of the aid efforts in Haitian communities can be viewed at once.
We began using GIS mapping technology at Water With Blessings in 2017 when filter-maker Sawyer Products offered to provide a rebate to us for using GIS in our relief operations. Sparrow Technology in North Carolina provided additional in-kind support, offering free site licenses to us so that we can use top-shelf GIS software provided by the ESRI technology company for their Arc GIS platform.

Another of our nonprofit partners working in Haiti is Food for the Poor. Prior to our joint relief efforts in Haiti, Water With Blessings had partnered with Food for the Poor in Honduras following back-to-back hurricanes last Fall. The Food for the Poor staff found our GIS mapping very helpful as they planned the distribution of food and other aid to hurricane survivors.

We believe that sharing this technology with other aid organizations helps to keep the focus on the Water Women and God’s thirsty children for whom they provide clean water. And we find that our donors enjoy using the colorful maps on our website and having a direct connection with the Water Women that they sponsor.

The donors can see photos of them, learn their first names, and count how many children and families benefit from their hard work and sacred commitment. This technology helps to build connections, even during COVID, and ensures greater accountability to our wonderful donors like you.
Brian Hsiao's work means that our donors can see where their money is making a difference. It also connects with our story-mapping efforts (below) to help evaluate our progress and plan our next moves.
It's Coming Up Soon: On October 5 Help Us Celebrate Ten Years of God's Blessings
As we’ve been saying, a big birthday is coming up quickly – 10 years since we incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

Your generous gifts have helped us reach 48 countries, with nearly 130,000 trained and equipped Water Women providing clean water to nearly half a million families.

Please don’t let us celebrate by ourselves. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, October 5. We will be partying in the parking lot in front of the Water With Blessings office (1902 Campus Place, Unit 11, in eastern Louisville) between 4 and 6pm. We will provide a light supper with barbecue and other treats.

And for those of you who would like to learn more about our beginnings, we will have our scrapbooks and other archival materials for you to look through.

Please come celebrate this milestone with us. You helped us get here, and make it possible for us to continue providing clean water to God’s thirsty children today and into the future. If you would like to join in the fun and to reserve your barbecue box, please send your RSVP to:
Get Your Raffle Tickets Now!

We will be participating again this year in the Frosty 5K, hosted by Good Shepherd Catholic Church (Lakeview Park, 112 Park Ave, Frankfort, KY 40601). As part of the benefit to Water With Blessings, they will raffle off this beautiful queen-size quilt (82”x96”), crafted by a former WWB volunteer.

The drawing will be held on Sunday, December 5, 2021, between 3-4pm. Tickets are $5 each, and you can purchase them at this address:
Join Us Friday Morning For CinnaBourbon Hugs

Enjoy the best cinnamon rolls in Louisville. You can pick them up every Friday morning at Water With Blessings (1902 Campus Place, Suite 11). A portion of the proceeds helps fund Water Women around the world.
 
Warm, gooey cinnamon rolls, made by Captain’s Cabin in Louisville, will be available for pick up every Friday
from 8am-9:30am at the Water With Blessings office.

Please try to order before noon on Thursday. You can click on the button below to make sure you can take home your favorite flavor: original, pecan, or bacon. And yes, they can be frozen, but they probably won’t make it to the freezer!
We believe every child should be drinking clean water. Are you with us?
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