All too often we take things for granted. We forget to appreciate the little things- which in fact are really big things. When we think of helping those less fortunate than us, we often think of food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. But there's an even greater, more fundamental need that over a billion people live without: clean water. 

We forget how lucky we are to have access to clean water. We wash our faces in it, we drink it, we cook our food with it, we water our plants with it, we even go to the bathroom in it. The average American uses more water during a 5 minute shower than the average person in a developing slum has access to in an entire day.

Imagine not being having a sink to wash your hands when they are dirty, having to walk many miles carrying a heavy jerry can of water on your back, and even then having to sip muddy microbe-infested water when you are thirsty. The lost productivity of people collecting water is greater than the combined number of hours worked in a week by employees at WalMart, United Parcel Service, McDonald's, IBM, Target, and Kroger combined.

It greatly disturbs me to learn that every 20 seconds, a child dies because of the water they drink. In fact, nearly one in five children die from diarrhea; more than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. 

These are preventable deaths. This is a fixable problem. Investing money into providing a clean, accessible, and reliable water source not only directly impacts people's health and quality of life, it impacts the education of their children and their overall economy. 

Please help me reach my goal of $12,000 to sponsor a water project towards helping provide clean, safe, sustainable water to a community. It's more than I can afford on my own, but I hope everyone can spread the word and help me close the gap. 

Share this with your friends and family! Thank you!

Hana