Hello friend!

On Sunday I turn 21, the legal drinking age in my country. For so many, this is a time of freedom and independence; when there are finally no more restrictions on you. I agree that the time between being 18 and 21 is odd, since society considers you to be an “adult”... except there are still different boundaries on you which aren’t on your other “fellow adults”. It's confusing, I know, but I’m not here to contend it.

What I want to talk about (something that has been on my mind since last spring) is the fact that, while we in the U.S. celebrate our 21 years of existence by going to bars to buy our first alcoholic drinks, 663 million people across the globe struggle to find sanitary drinking water every day. When you are born, you are automatically the “drinking” age because you need water to survive. Why then, in a world that is still so bountiful and prosperous are there 1,400 children dying every day from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation? Honestly, I don’t know. And it would be easy to point fingers of blame and accusation; or, on the other hand, to sit in numbed shock at that enormous number and feel completely helpless. However, I propose a third option.

I know I am small, one in billions, and most likely won’t be remembered once my days come to an end; but today, for my 21st birthday, I would like to attempt to make a change in at least one person’s life. And the neat thing is, by helping me, you can make a difference too! So, since I love role-playing so much, pretend you run into me and it's my first time at a pub; but instead of buying me a drink, like I know you so courteously would, it being my 21st birthday and all, please buy them a drink..
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If you are feeling extra inspired and generous, would you consider donating one dollar for each year of my life in celebration of my birthday? :)

Also, 100% of the money will be used to build clean water projects, and when they’re complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the exact community we helped.

Blessings, and thank you for taking the time to care for me by reading this and thinking about my request.

Katrina