There are 800 million people in the world living without access to clean water. Let's help fix that.

I'm about to turn 30. And while birthday gifts are fun and great, I don't need more stuff. So this year, I'm asking friends, family, and anyone who wants to help out to make donations to charity: water as part of my "birthday campaign."

I've been lucky to enjoy consistent access to clean water for my entire life, something that's easy to take for granted (even in drought-prone California). Nearly a billion people around the world don't have access to clean, safe drinking water; thousands of children die every day due to waterborne illnesses. There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world, and even small donations can make a difference.

100% of every dollar you donate to my birthday campaign will be used to build clean water projects in developing countries. charity: water funds their operating costs separately through a group of private donors, so 100% of all public donations will go directly to people in need. And charity: water will show us exactly which projects (locations and names of communities) we funded once they've been fully completed (which takes about 18 months).

My goal is to raise $1,000 - helping 50 people to get access to clean water. I'm asking for my age in dollars from everyone I know. That's 30 big ones. But you're welcome to donate more or less as you see fit. I hope you'll donate something, and help me make a small difference this year.

<3 Kim