Dear Fool:

This holiday season, we’re hoping to change the lives of 1,000 people by providing safe, clean drinking water. We’d be honored if you’d consider joining the cause. Any amount you're willing to give would make a huge difference.

Earlier this year, The Motley Fool was fortunate to host Scott Harrison, the founder and CEO of Charity: Water at our office. The team at Charity: Water is doing amazing work helping bring clean, healthy water to those in need across the world. We were amazed by Scott’s passion for the mission and by the impact Charity: Water’s efforts are having globally.

And we knew we had to get involved.

Consider the following facts:

• In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, which is unprotected and likely to make them sick.
• Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses.
• 90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are children under five years old.

The purpose of The Motley Fool is to help the world invest better. Normally, we want you to invest in the stock market. But today, we ask that you help us invest in communities across the world. By providing them clean drinking water, we can give them the gift of a brighter, healthier future, and make the world a better place.

Foolishly,

Your friends at The Motley Fool