For the sold-out crowd who gathered for the Gazelle Foundation’s Spring for the Water Gala at Hotel ZaZa, it was a night of purpose, joy, and generosity that showed what can happen when a community comes together. The annual event raised more than $300,000 to build spring-fed, gravity-powered water systems in Burundi, a small rural country in East Africa. The funds will support six new water systems that will serve more than 8,000 people, eliminating the need to walk long distances to collect clean water.
The evening kicked off with guests participating in an immersive water-walk simulation, offering a glimpse into the daily journey many families in Burundi take to obtain water. Thanks to the Foundation’s water systems, the typical four-mile journey has been reduced to just 400 meters.
That shared experience set the tone for the night, which continued with dinner, dancing, and a lively auction and paddle raise.
Foundation staff shared moving stories and personal experiences that underscored the desperate need for easily accessible clean water and emphasized the life-changing difference these systems make in the lives of Burundians.
Co-founder and local running coach Gilbert Tuhabonye reflected on the journey that brought him from Burundi to Austin. “My life was not easy, but it was a lot of fun,” he shared, weaving together memories of hardship, resilience, and hope. He spoke of carrying his mother miles to a hospital and fetching water for her while missing school, then paused to reflect on how life has changed in the communities where he grew up. “The clinic that treated my mother has water now,” he said. “There are tap stands all around where I grew up, and schools have water.”
That full circle experience is made possible by a Central Texas community that has embraced Gilbert’s spirit of joy and perseverance, transforming it into advocacy for clean water in a remote area of the world.
Co-founder Peter Rauch offered a behind-the-scenes look at how the Gazelle Foundation partners with local communities to build the water systems. “There’s no backhoes or electricity where we work,” he explained. “It’s largely a labor-intensive process.”
While on a trip with her family, the Foundation’s Community Development Associate Maslin “Mazzy” Redett had the rare opportunity to witness firsthand the impact she helps make possible every day. When Reddit arrived on site in Burundi where a water system was recently completed, she was met with singing, dancing, and celebration from the community. Through a translator, one woman told her, “To have this water is a gift of God. We are so thankful.”
“It was emotional seeing the work because it was hard to visualize how large these systems really are,” Reddit said. She added, “Children as young as 2 and 3 years old were fetching water from the tap stands.”
To close the evening, Gilbert returned to the stage to express his gratitude and remind the crowd that their commitment means that clean water now flows in places where it once did not. He summed it up simply yet powerfully: “Because of you, water will flow.”
Since 2006, the Gazelle Foundation has helped bring clean water to 144,560 people in Burundi, creating jobs, improving health, and opening doors for education and opportunity.
The celebration may have lasted only one evening, but its impact will continue for years to come. To see what this community has helped build over the past 20 years and find ways to get involved, visit www.gazellefoundation.org.
