A MOST BEAUTIFUL GIFT YOU CAN GIVE NOW

CHARITY : WATER

Water, like air, is something most people we know take for granted. We simply turn on the tap, and beautiful clean water comes out. But for 663 million people on our planet, it is a scarce vital resource. For us, it is shocking to learn that more than 1 in 10 people do not have access to clean water. They are perennially thirsty and at risk for disease as a result of poor sanitation conditions due to lack of water.

Charity : Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

For many of these people, the only source of water has been a polluted swamp or a tiny trickle. For many, their daily journey has required them to carry fuel cans containing 80 pounds of water each for miles. Some families have had to dig in sand to try to reach underground water. The few that have had access to wells have often had to wait up to 8 hours for a turn.

Some simple solutions have been made possible by Charity : Water. They help fund the creation and installment of freshwater wells, rainwater catchments, and sand filters.

Unlike many charities, Charity : Water uses 100% of public donations to directly aid people in need of clean water. All of their overhead costs are privately donated by Silicon Valley heavyweights, such as Jack Dorsey, Chris Sacca, John Doerr, Jonathan Ive, and Angela Ahrendts. So when you donate, 100% your money helps quench someone’s thirst. GIVE TO CLEAN WATER.

Operating on a $40 million annual budget, Charity : Water has funded nearly 23,000 projects to the benefit of over 7 million people. The average cost of a project costs about $10,000 and serves a community of about 300 people.

Every dollar invested in clean water and sanitation efforts puts at least $4 back into the local economy, according to the World Health Organization. That’s because access to clean water gives people more time, more health, and more productivity.

Another thing that makes us feel great about supporting Charity : Water’s clean water initiatives is their unusual super-clean transparency. The organization has pioneered new forms of accountability for their projects.

In 2012, Charity: Water won a $5 million Global Impact Award from Google which helped them to develop, build, and install two types of lithium-powered sensors to track water usage and monitor well operations remotely. They also deploy roving units of mechanics on bicycles and motorcycles to areas with poor cell connectivity.

So the next time you reach for a glass of water, wash your hands, take a shower, water your plants, go for a swim, or connect with water in any way at all, think about the hundreds of millions of people who can’t do any of those things. And help give clean water to people who need it now. It’s a beautiful thing to do.

Read more about Beautiful Water H2O in Make a Beautiful Splash in Texas and Pool Art Makes A Splash.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Diann Bayes. “Water Fountain.”
2. Image: Courtesy of charity: water. Young girl with a glass of clean water thanks to charity: water.
3. Image: Courtesy of charity: water. Young Honduran boy drinks clean water spigot thanks to charity: water.
4. Image: Courtesy of charity: water. Children around a water spigot thanks to charity: water.
5. Image: Courtesy of charity: water. Mom and child collecting fresh water at a water collection site thanks to charity: water.
6. Image: Courtesy of charity: water. Young boy holds his hands under clean running water thanks to charity: water.
7. Image: by Max Wei. “Water Fountain!”
8. Image: by Rod Waddington. “Drinking Water.”
9. Image: Courtesy of charity: water. Child splash his face with clean water thanks to charity: water.
10. Image: by Gary Edenfield. “Zata School Well.” Water collection site thanks to charity: water.
11. Image: by Kate Ter Haar. “Drink more water.”
12. Image: by BN App - Download now!
13. Image: by _quintin_. “Distortion.”