All of my birthdays have always been about stuff. Stuff I don't want, stuff I definitely don't need. And to be honest, I hardly even remember what I got for my birthday last year.

So this year, I'm giving it up.

I'm turning 12 years old and instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for $12 or more from everyone I know. It's not going to me, though. All of it is going to build freshwater projects for people in developing countries.

Almost a billion people in the world are living without clean water -- but how much are they actually living? Millions acquire deadly diseases from contaminated water. 30,000 people will die this week alone due to water-related disease. The lucky ones won't, but will still have to walk hours each day to get water for their families, and this water isn't even clean.

My birthday wish this year is not for more gifts I don't need; it's to give clean and safe drinking water to some of the billion people living without it. I want to make my birthday matter this year.

The best part is that 100% of all donations go directly toward water projects. And about 18 months after this campaign ends, charity: water will show us where and how every dollar we raised ended up helping in communities in the developing world. We'll see GPS coordinates, photos and more details about the villages we've impacted.

So join me, and see the difference we can make for the billion living without the privilege of clean water.