SheSpeaks and charity: water

There are lots of things in the world that I feel heartbroken about and wish I could change all by myself.  I read about them, I hear about them, and I even see some of them firsthand.  However, one of the worst things that I've learned of is the staggering amount of people who don't have access to clean drinking water. 

Can you imagine that?  We may struggle with bills, or find ourselves down if we don't have enough money for something we want.  But how many of us can't walk to a faucet, turn it on, and have clean water instantly?  I know that is something I take for granted every day.  We do our best to conserve water in our house, but I can't say any of us can be truly aware and appreciative of something we've always had without question. 

Almost a billion people don't have that same luxury.  Think about this:  this week alone, 42,000 people will die from diseases related to poor drinking water.  90 percent of them will be children under 5 years old.  I look at my daughter and think about what it would be like to have to give her dirty water to drink.  I wouldn't even want to bathe her in dirty water, and these children have no choice but to drink it every single day of their lives.  Another tragedy is that these mothers and children may have to walk miles to get the contaminated water.  I didn't know before today that 80 percent of illnesses on the planet are related to dirty water and lack of basic sanitation.  I didn't realize how many people this affected.  Did you?

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Since the inception in August 2006, charity: water has funded over 1,549 freshwater projects in 16 different countries, serving over 820,675 people.

Just $20 can give one person clean, safe drinking water for 20 years.

charity: water proves each water project, connecting donors here with the people they’ve helped in developing nations. Using GPS technology, photography, video and the Internet, charity: water proves all work done in the field, telling stories of communities changed by clean and safe drinking water.

Please visit www.mycharitywater.org/shespeaksup today to learn more about what YOU can do to help.  I would love to see a day when every single person has access to clean water--something nobody should ever take for granted or do without.