This year I'm celebrating my birthday a bit differently. I don't want presents or drinks. I want clean water. =)

Did you know that almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water??

Every day, all around the world women and children walk HOURS every day to collect water for their families. And the worst part? The water they collect can make them really sick.... 5,000 kids die everyday from water-related illnesses, and before they reach their 5th birthday.

Can you imagine that??

...Getting up in the morning and NOT being able to go to the sink and get a fresh glass of water from the faucet, because you have NO sink or faucet (never mind a "never-ending" supply of bottled water), and you have to walk miles to the nearest water source, only to collect water for you and your family that could in fact kill them, for all the waterborne bacteria and diseases that infest the water supply.

Water is vitally important to the mechanics of the human body. The body simply cannot work without it... Water makes up more than two thirds of human body weight, and without water, we would die in a few days. And without clean, containment-free water, the body cannot function fully for long...

We can, however, actually do something about it. Just $20 can help give one person clean water to drink... And $42, which matches how many candles on my proverbial birthday cake this year, can help a family in an Indian village bring fresh water to their community, thereby changing the lives of everyone they live with... There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

The best part is that 100% of the money we raise will directly fund water projects around the world, and when those projects are complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the impact we made. I can't think of a better birthday gift! =)

Please help me make this birthday my best ever -- donate to my campaign!
Thanks so much! I love and appreciate you!! =) ~x <3 o~