I might be one of the luckiest people on earth. Cool, clean, sweet water comes up from our well whenever I turn the tap. I have a vegetable garden made luxurious by plentiful well water. As I harvest vegetables, I wash dirt from them, letting water soak the soil and invigorate the remaining plants and sprinkle more water where plants look thirsty.

Many people around the world don’t have this most basic access to clean water for their households and growing food. Women and children walk for miles to the nearest water source, sometimes no more than a mud hole, and collect and carry what they can back home. I can't imagine carrying enough water miles each day just to meet basic needs. How could I ever collect and carry enough to grow food for the table?

Even more unimaginable - every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. 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. Solutions include providing water close to home, so women have more time for other things and children who help carry water (usually girls) are more likely to go to school.

I started this fundraising campaign to help charity: water build these types of projects around the world. For my birthday, I am hoping you will help me help others realize simple, nearby access to clean, life-giving water.

Please donate to my campaign -- anything you can give will help change the lives and futures of people in need of clean water.

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.