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 last year.

So this year, I'm giving my birthday up.

I'm turning 22 years old, and instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for $5 or more from everyone I know. It's not going to me, though. All of it is going to build freshwater wells for people in developing nations.

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.


And DID YOU KNOW...
$20 can give one person clean water for 20 years?
And that every $1 invested in improved water access & sanitation yields an average of $12 in economic returns?

To learn more about why I believe in this cause, check out http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/

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.

Tax-deductibility: charity: water is a registered 501c3 non-profit, and therefore, all donations made directly to the organization are tax-deductible. All donors, online and offline, receive a formal letter of acknowledgment and an official tax receipt within four weeks. Our audited financials as well as our 501c3 exemption can be found online here. Our 501c3 may not be provided to any sponsors or donors on our behalf without our written consent.. All donations must be made directly to charity: water.