About us EN

The Water is Life (WiL) project began on December 10, 2018 when three people got together to talk about:

“What can we do to solve the water problem in the Asterousia area?”

Andreas Zaharioudakis, (organic farmer, tavern owner, WiL volunteer)
Anja Mikola-Dobler (retired scientist, animal lover/activist, WiL volunteer)
Gina Billy Kraft (writer, editor/ translator, teacher, WIL volunteer)

The three of them already knew: “We can’t solve the problem by ourselves!”

So their next step was: ask Kostas (Greek) and Dietmar (German) from mazi e.v. to join them for a second meeting two weeks later. All of them were already volunteers with four different non-profit groups that were working in the area:

Kostas Manidakis, (geologist, organic farmer, community activist, WiL volunteer)
The Association of Volunteer Firefighters and Environmental Protection, Asterousia
The Cultural Association of Miamou-Lentas – Asclepius
The Association for the Promotion and Protection of the Village of Tsigkounas
Mazi, e.V

A logical next step was: Ask if the four established volunteer groups would agree to work together and sponsor and support the Water is Life local project.
All four groups said “Yes!”
Since then (and in spite of “pandemic challenges,”) the project has grown and developed – and more and more volunteers are joining in.

Water is Life Volunteer Video Team: Gina Billy Kraft, Walter Elstner, Elefhteria Tsapaki, and Karla Sigmund during the “Mission WiL Possible video shoot, 2021”
WiL Volunteers Stylianos Lambrinoudakis and Jochen Gabriel creating the theme song for “Mission WiL Possible, 2021”

So far, Water is Life milestones include our:

  • water-is-life.eu website launch
  • brochure (2020/21)
  • awareness raising poster campaign (2022)
  • World Water Day 2023 poster and events in local schools
  • Launch of the “New WiL” updated website (May 2024)
Download and explore the Water is Life brochure: “A Future with Water.”
Offering Water is Life posters to local businesses (Summer 2022, Photo: Iskra Coronelli)

Find your role in the Water is Life Project! Be like the hummingbird in this UN World Water Day 2023 Animation!
Do what you can do!

To contact Water is Life Leadership, comment in our Water Talk or News blogs. That’s also where you’ll find updates about our ongoing work. Be part of the team – and join us as we try to make sure:
We have a future WITH water!

“A Future with Water is a Future with Life”: Poster for the WiL World Water Day 2023 Events.
(Artist; Voula Loukadaki, Concept; Anja Mikola-Dobler)