It’s Sofia’s birthday again! Is it me, or does it seem like this happens every year? Sofia Dale Clark turns eight (!) on Sept. 27; which, as of this writing, is tomorrow. Happy birthday Sofia!

In honor of Sofia’s birthday – in order to translate her bright, beautiful spark into a meaningful contribution for the world – I have created an annual charity fundraising drive to help bring clean water to third world communities as of yet deprived of this most basic human right.

Shockingly, nearly 1 in 10 people still live without access to clean drinking water. Often this means that women and children walk long distances to retrieve water that itself may be contaminated, creating not only a physical and financial burden, but preventing kids from spending adequate time in school. Unclean and contaminated water is a major carrier of disease, and perpetuates a cycle of injustice which significantly hampers education and exacerbates income inequality.

The good news is that there are simple solutions, such as drilled wells, spring protections, and BioSand filters, which organizations like Charity: Water are able to bring to communities around the world, providing instant clean water access to people in need. It is a relatively simple and altogether effective solution, and Sofia's annual birthday campaign is proof that it works.

Sofia's birthday contributions from last year are hard at work in Niger, and the funds raised for Sofia's Sixth Birthday celebration were combined with 16 other fundraisers for a recently completed project bringing clean drinking water to a school in Mozambique. One hundred percent of the funds raised from her fifth birthday charity drive were sent to Mali, and the year before that to Tanzania. And all of it makes a difference; it really does. Here is a nice three minute video which affirms the dramatic positive changes that have taken place in Rwanda because of the 2012 September Campaign that Sofia and her loved ones were a part of back when she turned three.

Thank you all for your generosity and support in bringing these changes to light. Please consider donating to this campaign, whether again or for the first time. I started this fundraiser as a means of empowering Sofia to see that active love can make a positive, tangible difference in the world. To show her that in a world which is hellbent on taking, it is the act of giving which ultimately brings us closer to true freedom, happiness, and love.