I'm turning 30 this year, and I'm incredibly fortunate to live in a place where my basic needs can be met easily. I can even afford luxuries that most people in the world can't. As you can see, I really don't need any more material goods for my birthday. Instead, I'm asking for donations for a cause that I care about.

I was inspired to donate my birthday this year by listening to an episode of The Liturgists podcast featuring charity:water (it was actually a 3-part series from November 2016 entitled "Suffering" - link below). It made me realize that I can make a real, tangible impact in the lives of real people in such a way that will not only improve their physical health, but allow more time for education and community development (since less time will be spent hauling water). This will especially benefit girls and women, since they are usually the ones with this responsibility. And we know that when women and girls get educated, great things happen! Check out these articles:

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/educating-girls-is-the-key-to-ending-poverty/

http://www.ungei.org/news/247_2165.html

http://www.globalpartnership.org/focus-areas/girls-education

tl:dr - Educating women and girls is good for individuals, societies, and economies. Shocking. :)

Here's what charity:water has to say about its mission and personal campaigns (including this one):

"Many of us have no idea what it's like to be thirsty. We have plenty of water to drink -- even the water in our toilets is clean!

But many people around the world don’t have that luxury. Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. But 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.

100% of the money will be used to build clean water projects, and when they’re complete, charity: water will send [you] photos and GPS coordinates so [you] can see the exact community [you] helped."

Podcast link:
http://www.theliturgists.com/podcast/