February 6 - Aidan's Birthday Wish

Today brings us another INSPIRING Kid...  Aiden Ortiz! 

On February 2, Aiden celebrated his 8th birthday!  Happy Belated Birthday Aiden!  For his birthday, Aiden didn't want presents... Aidan has 1 wish for his birthday.  Aiden's wish is for children to have clean drinking water.




I read about Aiden's Birthday Wish on "Operation NICE" - a fun, encouraging blog I follow about all things NICE!  Melissa Morris blogs about living a proactively nice lifestyle.  On February 2, Melissa posted a letter from  Aidan's mom, Jennifer, who had written to her to share Aidan's birthday wish. Here's what she wrote:

About a month ago, 20/20 aired a special called "Be the Change: Save a Life." My son Aidan sat down to watch it and was especially taken aback by the number of children that died before the age of 5 because of a lack of clean water. He was impressed with Charity:Water's work, but didn't mention it again until Tuesday night. At the dinner table, he asked me if he could donate his birthday this year. So this year, instead of presents, his goal is to raise $800 for Charity:Water. He is asking all the kids in his class and going door to door on his bike this weekend, but I thought I'd help him out by sharing his story with you.


 Well, as it turns out Aidan has completely smashed his original goal, so now he has set his sights higher!  Aiden's new goal is to raise $5000 for Charity: Water.  Aiden is more than half way to his new goal having raised $2561.00 -  Way to go Aiden!!  If you would like to help Aiden reach his goal, please visit his fundraising page and make a donation to Charity: Water.   In honor of Aiden's 8th birthday, how about donating $8.00 to an awesome cause! 


In Aiden's own words:
Water is more important than toys I will get on my birthday. There are kids who do not even get to turn 5 years old because they have dirty water. This makes me sad. 

So, I don't want presents this year or a big party.  Instead, I am asking everyone to give $8 because I am turning 8 years old. Please help my birthday wish come true and help an entire community get clean water.


Thanks Aiden for caring about other kids!  YOU ARE AWESOME!! 

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Source: http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=12487
              Operation NICE

October 12 - charity: water

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. We use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need. Just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses.

90% of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are to children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation
 
In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, which is unprotected and likely to make them sick. Time spent walking and resulting diseases keep them from school, work and taking care of their families.

Along their long walk, they're subjected to a greater risk of harassment and sexual assault. Hauling cans of water for long distances takes a toll on the spine and many women experience back pain early in life. With safe water nearby, women are free to pursue new opportunities and improve their families’ lives. Kids can earn their education and build the future of their communities.

Most of us have never really been thirsty. We’ve never had to leave our houses and walk 5 miles to fetch water. We simply turn on the tap, and water comes out. Clean. Yet there are a billion people on the planet who don’t have clean water.


It’s hard to imagine what a billion people looks like really, but one in eight might be easier. One in eight people in our world don’t have access to the most basic of human needs. Something we can’t imagine going 12 hours without.

We’d like to introduce you to a few of those billion people. They are very real, and they need our help. They didn’t choose to be born into a village where the only source of water is a polluted swamp. And we didn’t choose to be born in a country where even the homeless have access to clean water and a toilet.

We invite you to put yourself in their shoes. Follow them on their daily journey. Carry 80 pounds of water in yellow fuel cans. Dig with their children in sand for water. Line up at a well and wait 8 hours for a turn.

Now, make a decision to help. We’re not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $20 a person, we know how to help millions.


Start by helping one.




Get Involved:
 
Donate to charity: water
 
Shop the charity: water online store.

Create your own fundraising page.

Learn more about charity: water projects.
charity: water proves each water project, connecting donors with the people they’ve helped in developing
nations. Using GPS technology, photography, video and the Internet, charity: water proves all work done in
the field and tells the stories of communities changed by clean and safe drinking water.

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Source:  http://www.charitywater.org/