October and November have been 100% nuts (in a pretty fantastic way), but now that I've had a moment to rest, I wanted to start down this road to the Holiday's highlighting something I'm pretty stoked about:
For Christmas this year, my wife and I wanted to do something different in the spirit of giving and sacrifice, so we're targeting something that means a lot to us - clean water.
More than a billion people are living without water on our planet. Some walk miles every day to get to the nearest source: a stagnant, parasite-infested stream or pond. They lug it back to their families. They suffer from diarrhea, worms and skin diseases because they can't wash themselves. 45,000 people die each day from waterborne illnesses.
So it's pretty simple - instead of us receiving gifts from friends and family - we're asking them to donate the money they would have spent to our Charity: Water fundraiser. On average it takes about $5,000 to build a well for a village in need - so that's our goal.
The cool thing is that it's not only about clean water - it goes so much deeper. In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, which is unprotected and likely to make them sick.
With safe water nearby, women are free to pursue new opportunities and improve their families’ lives. Kids can earn their education and build the future of their communities.
We know that there's so many worthy places to give our time, attention and resources to year-round - but if you're looking for a place to give this holiday season, we'd love your help in bringing clean water to a village in need.
I love this time of year, hope to run into you all soon!
Cheers, Jonathan
1 comment:
The author of The Art of Non-Conformity was either the founder or a big proponent of the Charity: Water foundation thing. If you haven't read that book, I think you'd greatly appreciate it. Good informal yet motivational book.
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