People have always been so generous to me for my birthday's. So this year for my birthday party, my friends and I will be dancing to Shakira's "Waka Waka- This one's for Africa" and instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for $9 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 Central African Republic.

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.

Love, Aliyah