Most of us have never really been thirsty. We’ve never had to leave our houses and walk five miles to fetch water. We simply turn on the tap, and water comes out. Clean. Even the water in our toilet is clean! Yet there are 663 million people who don’t have clean water; twice the number of people who live in 'Merica.

Through my travels last year, I met some of these people. They are very real, and they need our help. They didn’t choose to be born into a village where the only source of water is a polluted swamp. And we didn’t choose to be born in a country where even the homeless have access to clean water; we simply all won the lottery.

Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war; 43% of those deaths are children under five years old.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are simple solutions like drilled wells and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

This year for my birthday, instead of presents, dinners or drinks out, what I want more than anything is for my friends, family and acquaintances to rather help me pay this love and good fortune forward.

Please help me raise awareness and funds to help combat the water crisis and meet a pledge of $1,500 (I'll cover the difference for whatever amount I’m short). Hey, plus your donation is tax-deductible. ;)

Cambodia is one of the most amazing countries I have ever visited, but nearly half the population lacks access to clean drinking water. And ponds and rivers - often contaminated with industrial runoff, human waste or contaminants like arsenic and E. colo - remain the main source of water for cleaning, bathing and drinking for many villages. So far, 4,363 Charity Water projects have brought clean water to over 962,000 Cambodians.

So to all of my friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances, please join me in meeting my goal. Together, let us help provide Clean W-A-T-E-R (Water Access To Every Resident) in Cambodia.

Why give to Charity Water? See below for more on the water problem and the amazing work they do!

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THE FACTS
Access to clean water means education, income, empowerment and health - especially for women and kids.

•Education: Clean water helps keep kids in school, especially girls. Less time collecting water means more time in class. Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay home for a week out of every month.

•Economic growth: clean water is a well know economic multiplier: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/waterandmacroecon.pdf

•Women Empowerment (to empower more bad-ass-boss-bitches like all of us ;) ). Women are responsible for 72% of the water collected in Sub-Saharan Africa. When a community gets water, women and girls get their lives back. They start businesses, improve their homes, and take charge of their own futures.

•Health: Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

WHY CHARITY WATER
Sustainability:
Charity Water works with local experts and community members to find the best sustainable solution in each place they work, whether it’s a well, a piped system, a BioSand Filter, or a system for harvesting rainwater. And with every water point funded, their partners coordinate sanitation and hygiene training, and establish a local Water Committee to help keep water flowing for years to come.

Transparency and 100% Funding to Projects:
Charity Water is unique in that 100% of every penny you give goes directly to a water project. They have an entire separate set of Private donors who cover operating costs so 100% of your money can fund water projects.

When the projects are finished, charity: water will show us the exact communities we've helped using photos and GPS coordinates.