I’m donating my birthday

// 1.965 min read

I’m turning 28 in a little over a week. Scary stuff. :scream:

Know what’s really scary though? About 1,400 children from around the world die every day from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. That’s roughly one person per minute. One child. A human just like you. Gone. Every minute. Clock’s ticking…

Even if you take disease and death out of the equation though, water affects so much more. Education. Poverty. Food supply. Gender equality. You name it.

Here’s a video that does a great job of explaining things:

What are we to do? Well, it may only be a small gesture, but this year I’ve decided to donate my birthday to charity: water. I’m asking those close to me to forgo presents and make a small donation to my charity: water campaign instead, and I hope that there’s a few people out there on the internet like yourself who’ll join in too.

My goal

Even though my birthday is in a week or two, my campaign is going to run until December 31st. I’ve set a goal of raising USD$2500 by the time the campaign ends. Achieving this goal would be the most amazing present I could ask for, because even just USD$20 can provide one person with access to a clean water project in their village.

Why charity: water?

I chose charity: water because they do truly inspirational work. Here’s a few highlights:

  • They’ve funded 17,370 water projects in 24 countries so far.

  • Private donors fund their operating costs, so 100% of every donation goes directly to building clean water projects.

  • They prove every project. Every time a clean water project is completed, they prove it using photos and GPS coordinates. You can explore their completed projects on a digital map.

  • Their solutions are simple. No grand solutions or billion dollar schemes. Just things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. Stuff that costs $20 per person, and changes people’s lives permanently.

  • Read this. And then read these other things.

Now it’s your turn.

Here’s what to do next.

  1. Go to my campaign’s page
  2. Make a donation, even a small one.
  3. Bask in the warm and fuzzy inside feelingness you’ll receive.

Water is life’s most basic need, and with our help, charity: water can make a real difference.

P.S.: You could even consider donating your birthday too. :ok_hand:

Coby Chapple (@cobyism)

@cobyism—a.k.a. Coby Chapple is an autodidact, systems thinker, product architect, pixel technician, full-stack algorithmagician, multi-media maker, cryptography geek, aspiring linguist, and generalist Designerd™ extraordinaire. Read more »