Global Partners: Running Waters began with the dream of clean water.

Sister Jan Gregorcich with a Carving
Sister Jan Gregorcich receives a carving for her work.

Co-founders Dianne Henke,* a School Sister of Notre Dame Associate and beekeeper, and Sister Jan Gregorcich, a School Sister of Notre Dame, met through their shared passion of helping others. Dianne was looking for a way to honor her father-in-law in Guatemala. Sister Jan had lived and worked in Guatemala and Honduras for 12 years.

Sister Jan knew Dianne needed to see for herself how to best use her gift, so she invited Dianne to visit Guatemala with her. As the two of them traveled through rural Guatemala, they saw the scarcity of clean water in the indigenous communities. They both understood how clean water would completely transform those communities.

Dianne Henke (front, right) during a trip to Guatemala.

Dianne chose to use her gift to provide clean water to the village of Xeabaj in the department of Quiché, changing the lives of 108 families. This single act of generosity inspired others to experience the reality of water scarcity in Guatemala and share their gifts. In 2003, Global Partners: Running Waters was born.

*Dianne passed away on April 2, 2021 after a battle with ALS. You can read a beautiful tribute of her life here.