That 6 months living in Zambia was so special to me. Besides the work we (Carina and I) were doing there (which was super fun!), we got the special opportunity to live with one of the most loving families on earth.

You probably remember seeing a zillion photos that we posted of our father and mother (54 and 59) and most of their 13 children and plenty of their cute little grandbabies, who followed us around like ducklings. Our family was huge and we loved living with them - all 40-ish of them!!

Out of the dozens of children from our host family and village-at-large - one always stuck out. Shaddy.

He was the most hyperactive 4-year-old who spent most of the day jumping up and down like a jelly bean, climbing trees, and laughing at everything (ahem). He took care of Carina and I and was always fixing stuff we were doing wrong in the bush. Even though he couldn't understand what we were saying, he was always trying to teach us new Bemba words, pronounce words we were saying, or just dance with us. Shaddy had this little raspy voice and ridiculously thunderous laugh. And we loved him so much.

A few months ago, we heard the awful news that Shaddy was no longer with us. He had died of malaria. (Did you know today is WORLD MALARIA DAY?!) At the age of 7, Shaddy's bright light was taken from us. I've been grappling with his death on a daily basis. Not knowing what to do.

I want to honor him somehow - to remember him and how much he has changed my life for the better.

Many of us have no idea what it's like to be thirsty. We have plenty of water to drink. But that was an issue in our Zambian community. Along with crappy medical care and almost nonexistent school system, life in the Zambian bush meant braving drinking the ground water and hoping for the best.

Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. But 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.

I started this fundraising campaign to help Shaddy's family and families like them in rural communities around the world. It's my wish for the world that no one has to suffer. But if we can start with the people who suffer from things that can be fixed - let's do it.

I'm turning 29 on June 3rd!!

I don't need, nor do I want, any presents. I want to do good for the world, for Shaddy, and for every single person who doesn't have the luxury of drinking water safely.

Charity: Water is an organization that I whole-heartedly believe in. Please donate to my campaign -- anything you can give is a huge help. 100% of the money will be used to build clean water projects, and when they’re complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the exact community we helped.