On December 5th I’m turning 21, and instead of getting presents this year, I’m asking that whatever amount of money you would have spent goes to Charity: Water instead. You can donate any amount you’d like, or if you want, you can choose $21 if you’d rather it be symbolic of the age I'll be.

Charity: Water is also celebrating their fifth birthday, and has already helped 2 million people get access to safe water. But this year, they want to accelerate their impact by purchasing a new drilling rig and the equipment it takes to dig even more wells for villages in need. And once enough money has been raised to get a drilling rig, they are going to mount a GPS device to the one our money has gone towards, so that we’ll be able to know where it’s helping once work gets under way!

Each drilling rig is able to help bring clean water to 80 new villages each year, which gives clean, safe water to about 40,000 people. My goal for this birthday is to try to raise at least $200 to help to buy this new rig, but if I manage to raise more, that will be even better! Nobody should have to drink water – the most basic of needs – without knowing whether or not it is safe for them to do so.

So for my birthday this year, please help me to make a difference.