Big News!

Big News

We've funded a second well!

With the support of dozens of people in both our indoor ride this spring and our second annual outdoor ride in May, we have successfully funded our second well! Thank you first and foremost to all who contributed to those efforts! Your generosity toward our clean water projects is inspiring. 

The well we installed in Tsipasi following the indoor ride is operational, and the village now has clean water for the first time in history.

We created a new reality for that community, and we're thrilled to see what's next. 

We are working with our in-country contacts to determine the location of the second well, but we do know it will be in the Greater Accra region, the same region as Tsipasi (we'll be doing some posts about Tsipasi, the Greater Accra region, and other facts on the demographic of Ghana throughout the summer - stay tuned).  

But wait...there's more!
 

Really Big News

A documentary

We just launched a fundraising campaign through Kickstarter to fund the production of a documentary. The film will focus on the joy and freedom that comes along with clean water. It will feature the work our work underway in Tsipasi and the Greater Accra region, and also help us tell the story of just how much clean water means in breaking the cycle of poverty. We've said it before but it is worth repeating, clean water is the first step in holistic, sustainable, poverty alleviation. 

We need your help! In fact, this is an all-hands-on-deck kind of deal. We need to raise $50,000 in the next 30 days for the film to be a reality. The money will be used to send a team to Ghana, purchase a few pieces of equipment, and produce the film. We are partnering with our friends at One:One Creatives to film and produce the documentary. You can learn more about the kickstarter campaign HERE. 

The reason we're doing the Kickstarter fundraiser to fund the film is to ensure 100% of funds received toward clean water projects continue to go directly to the project. This model has allowed us to fund two wells with virtually no overhead cost (major thanks to our signature sponsor, Des Moines Water Works, for helping us cover all costs associated with the rides and events).  

We also believe we'll be able to leverage the film to raise larger sums of funds for clean water, and our investment into the film will mean more villages (and regions!) get access to clean water and sanitation education. 

We'd appreciate your support in this! We have until July 22nd to raise the entire $50,000 or we don't get a penny. It's all or nothing, and we're all in.
Also, if you pledge today, you don't get charged until July 22nd, and that's only if we're fully funded. You can also change your pledge at any point during the campaign. 

Join us here. 

Thank you!

The Move Project team

The Water Ride Recap

Success! 

Over 80 people participated in the ride and...

$7,022.27 was raised for clean water!

We are honored to use every penny raised to provide access to clean water and improve basic sanitation for our neighbors in Ghana.

Huge thank you to all those who rode, volunteered, and donated. 

Also many thanks to our sponsor, Des Moines Water Works for their support of this project! Their support allows us to allocate 100% of funds received to clean water projects.

To stay up to date on the progress of the well in Tsipasi and our other initiatives, subscribe to our newsletter HERE. 

WATER!

Tsipasi saw clean water today! 

This video is from the site where we are installing our well in Tsipasi, and shows the incredible moment (at the :50 mark) where they struck water. 

We are so grateful to witness this moment from across the globe, and know this is just the first, albeit significant, step in holistic and sustainable poverty alleviation in the area. 

Thank you to all those who have volunteered at events, donated to our work, and registered to ride in The Water Ride! You've made this possible.

Together we're making a move, and creating new realities for our neighbors in rural Ghana.

How we are able to dedicate 100% of funding to clean water

If you've attended our events, like the upcoming Water Ride (on May 17th - sign up today!) you know we designate 100% of all funds received at our project events to the respective project, like drilling our first clean water well in Ghana.

We're dedicated to this because we believe more in clean water than we do in overhead costs.

"How much goes to overhead?" is a common question that can potentially become an obstacle for some. When the answer is "none" it helps people feel more comfortable take what is perhaps their first step in pursuing poverty alleviation, which is why we exist.

We are able to do this by pursuing private,  not project-specific, funding. And we have a fun opportunity for you to get involved. 

A couple years ago, we did a short run of black t-shirts for our board members only. They were a hit! We still to this day get questions on how people can get one. Up until now they've been unavailable. Until now... 

As a way to raise money to cover overhead costs so we can continue to dedicate 100% of project proceeds directly to the project, and to finally give people the opportunity to own a coveted black TMP t-shirt, we launched a campaign on Bonfire. You can see the shirts and place your order by clicking here.

 Thanks for your support!

Clean water = new realities

We received a few bits of great news this week. Despite a one-day delay in drilling, we were advised the location of the well has been determined and the drilling is underway. 

Better news than that, perhaps, was that the village of Tsipasi has established a committee to oversee and maintain the well.

This is a big deal because African countries are peppered with non-functioning wells, confirming the fact that material goods (even clean water wells) don't break the cycle of poverty. 

What breaks the cycle of poverty is a community engaged in their own alleviation of poverty. It takes village leaders, men, women, and children, all working together for the betterment of their community.  

We we believe it starts with the building block of clean water. But it doesn't end there. 

Clean water was the beginning, and now we focus on other building blocks like sanitation and education. And we do so by empowering those who already had the foresight to establish a committee to ensure their clean water continues to flow.  

We do it by partnering with, and investing in, friends like these: 

The best is yet to come.

It's Happening!

Yesterday, our in country contact in Ghana was with our well contractor as they selected the location for the well in the village of Taipasi.

Today, drilling begins!

We'll be providing updates over the next two weeks as the well takes shape, so stay tuned.  

We will also be making a big announcement in the next few weeks about our future plans for Tsipasi. Excited to share more soon! 

Ride Bikes for Clean Water!

Here is a quick video for The Water Ride in May. Will you consider sharing with your friends, family, and social networks? You can find the video here: http://vimeo.com/88490268

May Promo Final from One:One Creatives on Vimeo.

3 Reasons We Must Act Now

Photos taken in Tsipasi, Ghana 1. This isn't shouldn't be a water source.

2. These kids shouldn't have their education impacted by their need to retrieve (contaminated) water.

3. Every family represented in this photo deserves access to clean water.

We must move.

Start here >> themoveproject.org/water

Ride a bike. Save a life.

On March 8, 2014 The Move Project, in connection with the Indianola YMCA, is hosting our first annual Indoor Water Ride. This event is part of our annual signature event, The Water Ride. Ride for a cause, and help raise the funds needed to install a clean water well in Ghana, West Africa.

100% of the proceeds will be allocated to water projects in Ghana.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Indianola YMCA, located at 306 East Scenic Valley Ave., Indianola IA 50125. The ride will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the YMCA's cycling studio.

You do NOT have to be a current YMCA member to participate in this event - everyone is welcome! Riders will register for one-hour increments and the event will run for six hours in total. All riders are welcome to sign up for more than one time slot.

For more information, and to register, visit themoveproject.org/water

Water Outages and New Realities

This morning, my doorbell rang and a serviceman from our local water service notified me that due to a mainline break up the street we'd have our water shut off in about 15 minutes. The outage would last about 2 hours, he said. We quickly drew a bath for our daughters before the water was shut off, since they needed to get a bath before they hit the road with my wife, heading out of state to attend a funeral. My wife also needed to shower, and of course, someone would need to use the toilet over the course of the next two hours. And I wanted to brew a second pot of coffee. We were concerned about the process of getting everyone bathed. I was irritated.

It was in that brief amount of time without access to running water that I had a thought that brought everything into perspective. I remembered our neighbors in Tsipasi. The folks who have to walk nearly a mile to gather contaminated water.

Two hours without access to clean, treated, safe, hot-or-cold-depending-on-what-I-wanted, water seemed so insignificant in comparison.

The second pot of coffee didn't seem so...necessary. The showers could wait. We could surely get through two hours using the water in the tank of the toilet.

And I wonder now how this very temporary water outage can shape my reality. How can I sacrifice so that people around the world can have access to clean water for the first time? How can I help my neighbors in Tsipasi? How can I help their children walk far less to retrieve water? How can I help ensure that water is clean?

These questions help make the decision to pursue a clean water well in Tsipasi obvious. How could we not?

And what about you? Will you help us?

Here's two quick and easy ways to get in on the joy that comes when you help your neighbor across the world in a small village called Tsipasi:

1. Register for The Water Ride, set to take place on May 17, 2014
2. Give securely to our water initiative - type "Water" in the memo section to have your donation go directly to our water project.

Together, we're changing the reality of those in Ghana while we change ours as well.

The next move is yours,

Sam

Clean water!

We shared an exciting announcement for our clean water project in our newsletter recently. You can read the update HERE. From the update:

...we began raising funds with first annual bike ride, The Water Ride. Thanks to many who rode and donated, and also to our event sponsor, Des Moines Water Works (who also signed on as our sponsor for 2014!) we have now raised enough money to begin work on installing a well!

We recently identified the village of Tsipasi in Ghana, West Africa as the community who will receive the well. You'll receive additional information on the village and the area in the next few weeks, but here's a quick bio...

Read the full post!

Be sure you subscribe to our newsletter to meet the folks of Tsipasi in the coming weeks!

Soap, Shampoo, Homelessness and You

We at The Move Project care more about ending homelessness in Des Moines (and other cities around the world) than we are joining homeless services. There are of course, immediate needs to those who are homeless, and those needs cannot be overlooked. However, we don't believe providing continual homeless services will lead to homeless alleviation.

There are many organizations, in Des Moines and beyond, who are doing incredible work in homeless services. We feel that one simple way The Move Project can become engaged in ending homelessness is to come alongside these organizations and meet their basic needs, so they can then reallocate their funds and attention to helping people transition into housing.

One way we've done this is through providing toiletries to a major homeless shelter in Des Moines. We've written about this initiative on the blog before, but here's a quick recap:

• We have partnered with the Iowa Cubs to and supplied a shelter in Des Moines with toiletries brought back from the team's road trips.
• This initiative was also replicated with the Round Rock Express, who we connected with shelters in Round Rock and Austin, Texas.
• We partnered with a hotel management group who manages three hotels in the greater Des Moines area, and we supply toiletries gathered by their cleaning staff to the shelter in Des Moines.
• The first time we delivered toiletries to the shelter, they were rationing out shampoo in Dixie cups, as they were nearly out of shampoo.

We feel that a shelter and homeless services organization can't effectively transition people into housing when their focus is on finding a way to stretch shampoo so everyone can shower. Our goal is to let the experts do what they are uniquely positioned to do, and help satisfy needs they may have.

As we've mentioned before, it's dead simple.

Professional franchises, hotels, kids traveling teams, business people, and any community member can transform a city, one soap and shampoo bottle at a time.

If you'd like to join in the alleviation of homelessness in Des Moines (or your city if you're not in Des Moines) reach out an we can help get you started. Drop us a line: Sam@themoveproject.org.

The next move is yours!

Clean Water and Then...

If you've followed us at The Move Project for a while, you know that holistic poverty alleviation is at the heart of everything we do. We want to break the cycle of poverty by addressing key points in the cycle; namely, water/food, shelter, and slavery.

The Challenge

TMP at 80/35

We have an opportunity to have a booth at the Des Moines music festival, 80/35. This is a fantastic opportunity that we are thrilled about, but need some help.

We need volunteers to work the booth during the festival, Thursday beginning around 4pm

Wear The Move Project!

You can now wear The Move Project by purchasing one of our t-shirts. The shirts, as seen in the image below, are white with the black TMP logo. Sizes range from small to 2xl.

We strive to allocate 100% of funds received to a specific project to the work of that project, and do not withold money to cover adminsitrative costs. Since projcects, initiatives, websites, etc don't create themselves, we will be using the money raised from t-shirt sales for administrative costs associated with running TMP. Your purchase will help us move forward!

If you want one, act fast because very limited quantities are available. You can order yours here.

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1 Drink For Clean Water

1 out of 8 lack access to clean water. We can end that. Let's do it!

Instead...A Clean Water Initiative

One of out of every eight people live without access to clean water. This is two things:

1. Shocking

2. Unacceptable

So we are going to do something about it.

March 22nd is designated by the United Nations as World Water Day. Although the problem persists 365 days a year, and each day we have the capability of closign the gap, we aim to use March 22nd as a catalyst for our clean water branch of The Move Project.

We are going to use the Instead app, and a collective effort, to bring clean water to a community who needs it. (side note: the grand idea is much larger than this, but clean water is a place to start. If you'd like to talk with us about holistic community development, email sam@themoveproject.org)

The plan:

Instead off drinking your latte, soda, or beverage of choice

Toiletries Initiative Sees Early Results

We recently announced a partnership with the Iowa Cubs

The Move Project EP

We just released an EP featuring three artists who provided original songs that were inspired by the work of The Move Project. We understand how music sheds light into dark places, and stirs people in a unique way. We truly hope this project goes beyond raising money for The Move Project's initiatives addressing homeslessness, food/water access and modern-day slavery, but also prompts people to get involved in addressing social injustice in their backyard and around the world.

TMP and the Iowa Cubs Address Homelessness in Des Moines

We can't be any more excited about our newest partnership and initiative.

The Move Project has launched an initiative with the Iowa Cubs to resource homeless shelters in Des Moines. The baseball team will be gathering toiletries during their travels, which will be provided to homeless shelters in Des Moines. This will address a felt need in the shelters throughout the city, and serve a large number of the homeless population with toiletry products. The Move Project will also work with visiting teams who travel to Des Moines to play the Iowa Cubs to gather toiletries during their visit, providing exposure to homeless services, and encouraging teams to launch similar initiatives in their city. We have already received feedback from teams in the Pacific Coast League who are interested in launching an initiative in partnership with their local shelter. The possibilities are endless...