This year, my 32nd birthday came around with not a lot of fanfare. In fact, it crept up way too quickly. Since I left Bangladesh just before my 31st birthday, I've felt disconnected from the ground realities in my former home -- although my health is certainly thanking me for clean Australian air.

Because of this disconnection, I decided I want to spend this year working in change and doing something positive for the developing world again.. something that used to mean more in my life than it does today.

So that's why, as I turn 32 years old, I'm asking for $32 or more from everyone I know, instead of asking for gifts. It's not going to me, though. All of it is going to build freshwater wells for people in developing nations.

The money will be used to support a NGO I truly believe in -- charity: water. What impressed me most is that private donors fund their operations -- funds raised through donations are used 100% in the field. The approach is a new and novel idea for me, having witnessed the corruption in the developing world first hand, and also having learned how much of donor money actually gets to people in the field.

A billion people in the world are living without clean water - but how much are they really living? Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water. 45,000 people will die this week alone. The lucky ones won't, but still walk hours each day to get dirty water to give to their families.

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 living without it. I want to make my birthday matter this year.

Please join me.

please note: Because of charity: water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to direct water projects costs, and each donation is "proved" and tracked to the village it helped when projects are complete.