Four Inane Questions with Agua Viva International’s Barbara Gillard

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Gillard

Barbara Gillard is the kind of person who can organize a fundraiser, plan a water system install, and still have time to teach you about microcredit over coffee.

As volunteer coordinator for Agua Viva International, Gillard blends boots-on-the-ground know-how with big-picture impact. She caught the global development bug early, earning her economics degree from Truman State while studying abroad every chance she got. A pivotal trip to Bangladesh led to a six-week internship at the Grameen Bank, where she saw firsthand how small loans can spark big change.

Today, she brings that same mindset to Agua Viva—a Kansas-born nonprofit delivering clean water and hygiene education to communities in Latin America and Africa. Gillard helps build partnerships with schools, churches, and orphanages—and what starts as purified water often leads to healthier kids, stronger economies, and empowered local leaders.

As we deduced after talking with her, she’s got a heart for service, a brain for logistics, and a passport that rarely gathers dust.

We caught up with the do-gooding water diva between installs to zing her with our moronic questionnaire. We tried to stay properly hydrated between questions. Bless.

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Gillard

The Pitch: You can bring back any hairstyle. Whaddya’ choosin’?

Barbara Gillard: Somebody get my flat iron because I’m going for the classic early 2000s emo swoop, sometimes also referred to as “scene hair”. Nothing expresses angst like thick eyeliner peeking out under straight, choppy bangs. Really,the whole hairdo could be described as chunky, layered bangs. It could also be a signal for how you’re feeling that day.

Maybe some days your heart is in Ohio, but your inbox is full of “reply alls” that have nothing to do with you. On those days, you can hide behind the hair, or maybe you even add a little barrette to secure the swoop and reveal both eyes.Either way, the early 2000s emo swoop can be the perfect expression for any occasion!

If you were a sparkling water flavor, what sparkling water flavor would you be? 

I think I would be berry. Or, as I like to call it, pink flavor. I’m not a sparkling water connoisseur. To be honest, all of the flavors kind of taste the same to me. But that’s the beauty of it! There is no bad sparkling water flavor, they’re all okay!

They all have something to offer, which is bubbly refreshment, and none of them are terribly offensive. So, I would be a middle-of-the-road berry flavor—a flavor for everyone, which is really how I try to approach life.

Describe, in detail, the perfect pizza. 

I’m going with a controversial take, but I like a thick, chewy crust. We’re talking Detroit-style. I need a strong foundation to support a mountain of cheese and toppings.

Marinara sauce, mozzarella out to the edge so it gets crispy in the corners, Italian sausage with plenty of fennel, sauteed eggplant, caramelized onions, sauteed garlic, sauteed peppers, finished with little dollops of ricotta. Don’t skimp on the oregano or crushed red pepper, either. If I’m really feeling indulgent, I might even drizzle a little honey over each slice. I may need many, many napkins, but that’s just proportional to the layers of delicious flavors on this pie.

What well-known company jingle best represents you?

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Gillard

“Freeee credit report dot com, I should have seen this coming at me like an atom bomb!”  

I am a huge advocate for financially healthy habits, like checking your credit report or regularly reviewing your bank statements. Most people find managing their money to be so stressful or scary, but the more you familiarize yourself with your finances and budget, the better you can take care of yourself and your family.

You can’t avoid it forever; at some point, we all have to pay bills or would like to save up for a big splurge.  The more you know, the better you can avoid surprises and prepare for the future.

Bonus 5th Question: What’s a really good film/movie that you refuse to ever see again? 

A Little Princess (1995) is absolutely gut-wrenching. Set in 1914, the film begins with beautiful and fantastical views of India as the backdrop for a tale of a happy little English girl, Sara, and her father. Eventually, Sara’s father is drafted into World War I, but not to worry, he sets Sara up at a boarding school where she is beloved by all the other girls, except the headmistress, that is.

The first and last time I watched this movie was at my seventh birthday party. When my mom took me to the library to pick out a movie for the sleepover, I thought A Little Princess looked sweet and nice. What an excellent way to spend an evening in my PJs with my friends!

Unfortunately, the movie takes some devastating turns, and soon we were all sobbing as Sara screamed to her amnesia-addled war veteran father, “Poppa! Poppa, it’s me, Poppa! Don’t you recognize me? Poppa!” while the headmistress drags her back to the attic she had been relegated to. Some of my friends were so inconsolable that they had to be picked up early. It kind of put a damper on the party.