In 2016, we invited women to join The Waterbearers. We created a travel team to inspire women to participate in the service aspect of what we do – bringing clean water solutions to those in need. The Team Leaders took part in our extensive training program and have traveled to Mexico, Liberia, Nicaragua, Nepal, and Sierra Leone as part of our filter distribution and training workshops. All our members volunteer their time and share our commitment to bring clean water access and empower women worldwide.

OPHELIA RAMIREZ

As the youngest of 7 children and the child of Mexican farm laborers, Ophelia gained an appreciation of water and the earth’s resources at a young age working in the fields with her family picking fruits and vegetables in the hot California sun.

The first in her family to attend college, Ophelia graduated summa cum laude from San Francisco State University. From these humble beginnings, she has traveled to many emerging countries worldwide, where she gained an even greater appreciation and the importance of clear, available water. Seeing first-hand in indigenous communities, how it is left to the women and young girls to provide water for their families. This appreciation deepened by her exploration into her Native American roots by visiting reservations in Montana, North Dakota, and the Southwest. This also brought her to a greater understanding of our essential oneness, which led to the formation of an online community called Act-As-One.org.  Ophelia co-led the team in Nicaragua and was part of the team in Mexico and Liberia.

KATHY STEELE 

Kathy has focused her life on encouraging others to recognize their talents and follow their heart. As an educator for over 30 years, she has advocated for inquiry-based, child-centered curriculums and has taken leadership roles to advance literacy. Her passion to empower youth inspired her to be part of creating a nonprofit that teaches life skills and workplace training to at-risk 16-20 years old in Boise, Idaho. For 13 years, Life’s Kitchen has changed lives and opened doors of opportunity for its students. In addition, Kathy has been supporting teachers and schools in implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) through the TOOLBOX Project designed by Dovetail Learning.

An adventurous Sagittarian, Kathy has traveled extensively and followed her spiritual path to connect with diverse cultures and be part of transformational experiences.  When her children were 4, 8, and 11, Kathy and her family traveled around the world for a year. It is during this time that she recognized the dire need for clean water in such places as Mumbai, Hongkong, and Bangkok. Ultimately, this reality led her to join The Waterbearers organization to help promote sustainable solutions for communities in the world that do not have access to clean water. Kathy co-led the team in Nepal 2018, and joined the team in Mexico and Liberia.

NATASHA SINGH-ALLY 

Natasha puts into action her intent to stage evolutionary change for society through development practice. She is making headway to ignite the narrative for the greater empowerment of women and the capacitating of youth in South Africa.  As a social entrepreneur, Natasha encourages community leaders to drive excellence and accountability to assist those economically marginalized.

Natasha has a mound of competence in business management and a natural disposition to focus on governance and controls, yet her intuitive reasoning and innovative idea generation balance her approach to problem-solving. Traveled with the team to Mexico, Nepal, and Sierra Leone as Ambasaador.

ASHLEY ROGERS

Ashley Rogers has worked as a photojournalist, network television producer, and documentary filmmaker and has had the privilege of seeing the world through an intimate storytelling lens. Her visual, communication, and writing skills have helped shine a light on the inequities and injustices around the globe and have celebrated the spirit of humanity in grand and small ways. Her “heart skills” were honed as an advisor and volunteer for Teach for America, the CitiKids Foundation, the United Nations Environmental Organization, the Youth Action Foundation, the Children’s Creative Writing group in New York City, and Drew King Medical College in South Central, Los Angeles.

Ashley’s interest in water came as a result of a film that she and Jane Brinton, the Co-Founder of The Waterbearers, produced in Mali, West Africa. Trekking across the Sahara desert, with the Tuareg tribe, they saw first hand the incredible importance of water and the courage of women who every day risk their lives to bring this precious liquid gold to their communities. Ashley now calls Cuenca, Ecuador home.