I am turning 27 in four days. For my birthday, I ask you to join my annual birthday campaign to raise 500 dollars to give the gift of clean water to underprivileged communities.

663 million people in the world live without clean water. That is nearly 1 out of 10 people worldwide or, differently put, twice the population of the United States. Diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation claim the lives of 1,400 children every day and 16,000 people every week. Lack of clean water is also a major barrier for women's access to education and opportunities. In Africa alone, women spend 40 billion hours a year walking for water, a chore that deprives girls of school a week out of every month.

The donations will go to mycharity:water, an NGO dedicated to increasing access to clean water in underprivileged countries. 100% of the donations are sent directly to needed communities to build or rehabilitate water sources. Donations from previous birthday campaigns were sent to Ethiopia (2013), Kenya (2014), Mali (2015) and Uganda (2016).

Given the recent social and political events in both countries I consider home, I did consider whether I should direct my fundraising efforts to a cause closer to home. But I decided that this is a time that demands everyone to steadily stand by their strongest convictions. Mine is water. I hope you join me in my journey, and I look forward to supporting your cause.

Thank you.