When Running Strong for American Indian Youth® was formed in 1986, getting clean, safe drinking water to the residents of Pine Ridge was one of our top priorities. Previously, Running Strong satisfied this need by drilling water wells. However, the need for wells declined as the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System was created and water lines were laid providing access to water.
Still, for many residents access to potable water remains unattainable. For some residents, who may live as close to just over 100 feet of the service line, the costs to run a line to their home and tap into the main line are too high. Many of these families have been on the waiting to be connected to the water line for years, on a waiting list of almost 500 households.
In fall 2015, Running Strong returned to our roots to provide families with what most Americans take for granted – running water – by connecting their homes to the Rural Water Supply line through our program Mni Wiconi (Water is Life).
Following the success of our Mni Wiconi program, Running Strong launched a 4-year pilot program in 2016 and expanded our water projects to the Navajo Nation, beginning with the District 11 communities of Wheatfields, Tsaile, and Lukachukai. This past year through Diné NaabehóTó (the Navajo People’s Water Challenge), Running Strong connected 13 households to water in these communities, providing 92 individuals with access to clean, running water.
Learn more about our water programs here.