My sister Joyce Tannian is my hero.
So many of us, myself included, aspire to help others, to make a difference in the world and often get tied-up in our daily lives.
My company manages engineers, producers and musicians, but we’re not solving world peace or providing solutions for the energy crisis.
Then there are those, like the 3 women profiled in the recent CARE sponsored movie “A Powerful Noise.” These women, one from Vietnam, one from Mali and another from Bosnia-Herzegovina who, faced with incredible odds, have created solutions. They’ve organized support groups and awareness to help ease the pain of people living with AIDS/HIV in Vietnam, created agricultural co-ops to get food on the table where internal conflict between the Serbs and Bosnians leaves people fighting for every last bit. Another woman has exerted tremendous effort to improve education and vocational opportunities for the underprivileged in Mali.
My sister Joyce is one of these people.
Yesterday we spoke briefly on the phone (6/16/08). From Atlanta to Kenya the conversations are hurried and urgent trying to catch up as quickly as we can. She was ecstatic. They finally hit water with their 2nd borehole in Meshenani, Kenya. Her organization 'Water is Life Kenya' focuses on creating safe drinking water sources for the Maasai living in southern Kenya, near Mt. Kilimanjaro. With the help of our father, family friend Mark Manniso and the support of churches, foundations and community organizations in the States, they’ve raised money for a successful first borehole in Imisigyio, Kenya, to train the community on pump maintenance, to hold a women’s empowerment seminar and now, to have succeeded in finding water in Meshenani.
Digging for water is risky business. Even with surveys and soundings there is no guarantee that water is where they say it will be. The depth of the wells needed in this area is over 150 meters. Currently $60,000/borehole is the price tag for these wells. The benefits of a close, clean water source are enormous. Thousands of people and their livestock are assured less than one day's walk to water. The well will provide 100 liters/minute and women will save a combined several thousand hours a day by not having to walk 8-10 hrs a day for their daily water needs.
Clean water sources help prevent diseases.
Joyce fell in love with Kenya. A longtime New Yorker, who worked at HBO, sang as a mezza-soprano in various groups, churches and opera companies our parents had to digest the information when told, "I'm moving to Kenya." After a visit to Kenya many years ago, she came back to her 1 bedroom Brooklyn apartment and decided she wanted to do something for the people she had met. Within 6 months, she had moved out of her 1 bedroom Brooklyn apartment
and into a 3 bedroom 5 women apartment in the Bronx to save money. Within 2 years she was living in Kenya at first working with an educational non-profit. Seeing the need for water while watching people suffer through the frequent droughts, she decided to start her own non-profit and shifted her focus to hydro-geology, casings and pumps in attempts to get a crash course in boreholes.
Courage, determination and clear focus are what are needed to overcome the daily obstacles in her path towards water. Political unrest, bad roads, cultural differences, and language challenges are a few of what shows up in her adventure. She has learned Swahili and is learning Kimaasai. Joyce's willingness to 'go with the flow' and her ability to recognize her leadership role are keys to maintaining her sanity and forging forward on others. Like any grassroots organization they can use plenty of help in the way of funding and expertise.
Please see the website: www.kenyawaterislife.com.
As my week winds down and we book recording sessions for Akon working with Lindsay Lohan, or the artist Monica films a reality show at one of the studios, an emergency session with Nas needs an engineer, a musician needs crediting on a Nelly record my underlying thoughts are joining Joyce in the happy ‘water dance.’
Each time I get up to fill my glass with cold water from the office kitchen I am reminded of Joyce. Her water is hard won. The number of people and animals she reaches with every drop of water from the new well means another life benefits and is safe for the day.
Now that is the song to write.
She is indeed, my hero.
posted by Monica Tannian of milkmoney on 6/17/2008
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