Stories from the teams, the staff, and the humans on the other side of your donation. Three programs. One mission. Real lives changed when water meets the ground.
That's not a typo. It's a WHO/UNICEF number from 2023. Here's what it looks like in data — and what your day looks like in comparison.
3.7 miles is roughly the length of Manhattan from Times Square to Central Park's north end, the National Mall end-to-end and back, or about 65 football fields. Imagine walking that — with a 40-pound jug on your shoulder — before sunrise. Every single day. In the US, our average distance to clean water is about 12 feet to the kitchen sink.
The research is clear. Volunteering and action-based service work isn't just good for the people you help — it physically and psychologically changes the person who shows up.
People who travel to serve — who put their hands on a drill or hold a child — come back different. Lower cortisol. Higher oxytocin. Deeper sense of connection. The science says what every volunteer already knows: showing up for someone else is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Every well, every kid in school, every saved hour traces back to a real human who said yes.
“She wanted to tell me one thing. She wanted to go back to school.”
11 years old. Refugee from the DRC. Walked to the training site every day to hold her baby sister so her mom could learn to drill. Now she's back in school — moved up a grade.
See the wells“I couldn't go. I couldn't fund it alone. But I could call Jim.”
Couldn't fly to Uganda. Couldn't drill a well. But he made one call — and that became 75 kids with a roof, food, school, and a future.
Read Jerry's story“When the kids saw water come up, that's when it hit me.”
University of Michigan linebacker. Mike Owens's godson. Texted “I'm ready” — and two months later he was drilling wells in Uganda. One text. Real water.
More storiesMore stories coming soon — from the communities where One Million Wells works.
Six trainees. Eleven days. A refugee settlement with access to water for the first time.
Coming SoonHow one crew turned a single well into a movement drilling at record pace.
Coming SoonA patented design from local materials. No shipping container. Just knowledge and hands.
Coming SoonNot a board on a wall. The people who built this and keep it moving.
Executive Director
Former banker. Former insurance pro. Former animal rescue radio host — yes, that was a real thing, and yes, she was great at it. Now she runs OMW across 11 countries and somehow makes it look effortless. The person you want in your corner when things get complicated.
Most likely to: bring back a rescue puppy from Uganda 🐕
VP, Strategic Planning & Development
Duke grad. Make-A-Wish co-founder. OMW strategist. Collects world-changing organizations like some people collect stamps. Joined OMW in 2019 and now treats it like a second full-time job.
Most likely to: already have a plan for the plan 📋
Secretary / Treasurer
Co-founder of Strategic Legacy Advisors. Joined OMW in 2021 after hearing that women walk three miles for green water. Showed up the next day. His clients call him “the warrior.”
The one who makes the numbers make sense 📊
Think you belong on this page?
We're always looking for people who get it and can't sit still about it.
Meet the Full Team →$3,500 drills a well. Trains a crew. Sends kids to school. Changes the math for an entire community.
92% to programs · 501(c)(3) · EIN 82-1963744