As some of my friends and family know, I worked in the Israeli Desert this past summer. To my surprise, living among sand and rock was not rough at all. In fact it was incredibly pleasant because, even in the heart of the Negev Desert, I had clean water on tap. Every time I filled my canteen or my glass I thought to myself, "This is not real life." Despite the solitude and the heat and the mud and the desert hills, I was truly living in an oasis.

Before your eyes glaze over, I want you all to know that 783 million people do not have access to clean or safe water around the world. Water access and sanitation issues are indiscriminate, they affect white people, they affect black people, they affect yellow people, brown people, and every color in between. These issues occur in the desert and they occur in flood zones as well. While people have to live in these extremes, we sit comfortably within our own oases.

With your donation, we create micro-oases so that others can live without fear of being thirsty. 100% of the money you donate 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. Please consider donating this Valentine's Day, $1 can go a long way! Thank you for reading.