As most of you know, Eric and I traveled to Ethiopia in November and in January for our adoption of Markos. The poverty and the need that we saw broke our hearts. We saw children caring for children. We saw children, mothers, elderly, and the disabled begging for their existence. When we traveled around the countryside, everywhere we looked there were yellow water bottles. We saw children scooping water from dirty puddles on the street. We watched people filling their water bottles in filthy streams in which cattle stood only a few feet upstream. As we drove, we saw river bed after river bed completely dry. We could tell where the closest source of water was by which direction the people were walking with their yellow water bottles. Children carried them on their backs. They were strapped to donkeys. They were piled on make-shift wagons. Everyone searching for water. Any water. Rarely, was it clean. If there was a well, people were lined up or surrounding it to get water for another day. We were told that most walked for about 6 miles to get water. Every. Day. Water means life. Water gives hope. This year, Eric and I are giving up our birthdays and instead are asking everyone to help us fund the drilling of a well in a developing nation. We have water in abundance, waste it shamelessly, and take it for granted. $20 provides one person with fresh, clean water for 20 years! Please give water. Give life. Give hope.

please note: Because of charity: water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to direct water projects costs, and each donation is "proved" and tracked to the village it helped when projects are complete.