In 2009 I visited New Longoro, Ghana, as a part of D-Lab (http://d-lab.mit.edu), my favorite class at MIT. I went with some of the women in the village to get water from the river one afternoon... and as you can see from the picture, I needed a little help towards the end (embarrassing!). Although it looks like I'm having a ball, I can assure you it wasn't easy (think smile = grimace)-- it made me realize how much I undervalued the clean drinking water I had such easy access to at home.

This Christmas, I'm asking my friends and family to donate to charity: water in place of Christmas gifts. 100% of donations go straight to water projects. You know I don't need any more stuff than I already have, anyway. ;)

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Here is the reality of Christmas in our world: America spends around $500 billion a year on Christmas gifts. That's more than $600 per person! We also spend another $8 billion on Christmas decorations.

This Christmas, I'm taking a step back from that world. This Christmas, I want to give more than gifts that fit in boxes.

I want to give people life by providing clean drinking water.

800 million people are living without clean drinking 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 diarrheal disease, worms and skin problems because they can't wash. About 30,000 people die each week from water-related diseases. Most are kids under five years old!

My mission is to raise $500 by Christmas this year. 100% of every dollar I raise will go directly to water projects. And when the projects are complete, charity: water will show us GPS coordinates, photos and other details about the communities we've helped. Together, we'll be able to see the impact we've made.

Please join me by donating.