This year I hae decided to give up my birthday in order to help provide clean drinking water to some of the 800 million people without it.

I first learned of charity:water through my wonderful cousin, Paull Young, after he scored an internship with them. Aside from being exceptionally proud of all the amazing work he has done, I have learnt a lot from him and his experiences and I now understand why he is so passionate about what he does. Here are sme reasons why I support charity:water...

- More people die from a lack of clean water & sanitation than are killed by all forms of violence, including war.
- Diarrheal disease casued by unsafe water is the second leading killer of children worldwide
- Women are twice as likely to collect water than men, increasing the risk of violence, rape, long term health implications on the body as well as taking time away from work, school & family.
- 10% of disease could be reduced with improved access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene education & water resource management.
- Clean water projects that are built nearby schools significantly increase attendance, especially in girls.
- A small group of people are chosen from the local community to oversee the each completed charity:water project. Equal numbers of men & women are encouraged. Often, this is the first chance women have to take on elected leadership roles.

100% OF DONATIONS GO TO CLEAN WATER PROJECTS! 100%!

So, this year, instead of asking for gifts or a night out on the town, i am asking for a donation of $28 (my age this year), or more to help solve the water crisis.

Please have a look at some of the video's available on the site & hopefully you too, will be inspirec to get behind the cause!