Please donate to my birthday campaign! Together, we can help provide clean water to communities around the world.

Approximately 200 million women and children spend up to five hours a day walking for water. Pictured above is Charity, one of my host sisters from Kenya. Charity and I used to walk to Lake Victoria, one of the African Great Lakes, as it was the only nearby source of water. Lake Victoria's water quality has been deteriorating for years, but my host family and I still drank the water and used it to shower, wash the dishes, and do the laundry.

My birthday is around the corner, and I am asking for my age in dollars ($24) from everyone I know. Instead of giving me gifts or buying me drinks, please donate to charity:water and help provide clean water for people who need it.

Almost a billion people on the planet do not have access to clean drinking water. Every day, 1,400 kids die from water-related illnesses before they reach their fifth birthday— it doesn't have to be that way! There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections, and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

Imagine having five extra hours a day- instead of walking for water, children like Charity can learn how to read, play soccer, work on their homework during daylight, and more. Every penny of your donation will directly fund clean water projects in developing countries. Even better, charity:water will show us exactly which projects we funded once they have been fully completed. In about 21 months, we will know the names and locations of the communities we helped!

Thanks to all of you reading this, I have already had 23 amazing birthdays. Please help me make my 24th birthday meaningful, not only for me, but also for those without access to clean water— donate to my campaign!