Email sent to Project1040 Supports from 2013.
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Dear Friends & Family -
I’m writing with an update on Project 1040. You might remember that back in 2013, a group of friends set out to raise $100,000 to build 10 wells through charity: water. Because of your generosity, we ended up funding 17 wells in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, which was an area with some of the most limited access to clean water in the world. Those wells were completed in 2014, and for years, they’ve been changing lives.
When conflict broke out in Ethiopia in 2020, the name Tigray immediately caught my attention. We checked in with the charity: water team, but communications in the region had been completely cut off. All we could do was hope and pray for peace, which never feels like enough.
This month, charity: water shared a beautiful, heartbreaking update about their partners rebuilding communities that were devastated during the conflict. They included a short 6-minute video from Ethiopia, and it moved me deeply. It was a reminder that the support you offered over a decade ago is still echoing forward in real people’s lives.
There is no new campaign, no social media push (I don’t even have TikTok), and nothing to track. This is simply an invitation:
In a season when so much money flows toward things that are temporary, consider again investing in something lasting - clean water for families around the world.
If you feel moved to give again, there are a few simple ways to do that: give monthly, sponsor a water project, or turn your assets (DAF, stock, etc) into clean water.
Stories from within our community
Over the past ten years, life has held both fullness and heartbreak, but one thread has stayed constant: our consistent network of people who care about bringing clean water to the world. A few glimpses:
In 2021 and 2022, Jimmy ran the NYC Marathon twice, raising money for 3,500 people to gain access to clean water.
In 2023, Warren and I had the chance to visit a few water projects in Malawi, which is an experience I will never forget.
And in 2025, I wanted to share a story about Karina, who is one of the kids in our small group community.
Photo: Karina (2013) → Karina + Tori (2023)
One of my favorite moments this year came from Karina’s big, bright, and audacious goal to raise $16,000 for her 16th birthday. Instead of doing something easy or typical, she took the time to research the communities that grow beans for Saint Frank Coffee and launched her own clean-water campaign in Burundi. To me, the beauty wasn’t achieving the final amount (though she hit her goal!), it was watching a teenager choose to spend her free time on behalf of others.
I don’t know all the legacies we’ll leave behind, but I do know this: clean water is a solvable crisis, and your generosity more than a decade ago continues to ripple outward into lives, families, and futures. That gives me hope. And it’s beautiful to see there are others, both young and old, now joining along the way.
With love,
Melissa on behalf of Project 1040
P.S. For those who want to revisit the original Project 1040 wells, here is the link to all the completed 17 wells.
P.P.S. If it’s been awhile since we’ve connected, please consider this a warm hello and I’d love to hear how you’re doing.
