When I was a missionary in Paraguay I saw first hand people’s struggle for lack of clean water. One woman in particular—a grandmother who took care of her six grandchildren, each less than eight years old—asked me and my mission companion if we would dig a well for her. She was physically unable to walk to and from a local well and carry water several times a day, and her grandchildren were not grown enough to perform the task either.

We had no experience digging wells, but we did our best. With the help of a couple of local youth, we dug her a 15 foot deep well which yielded dirty, brown water, and which quickly dried up during the hot summer months. It felt like we had no real way of helping her overcome that incredibly difficult challenge.

Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

I started this fundraising campaign to help charity: water build these types of projects around the world, and I'm looking for anyone who can help me.

I’m giving my 30th birthday for clean water. I have donated $30 to help get clean water to people who don’t currently have access to it. Please join me for my birthday and donate $30 (or whatever amount you’re comfortable with) to this cause!

100% of the money will be used to build clean water projects, and when they’re complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the exact community we helped.