Charity: water. A Great Cause via Social Media and More

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Penn Olson Hearts Charity: Water – Posts Series.

Have you heard of charity: water?

If you haven’t, it is time you learn about this lives changing project.

An idea and a passion were the only things Scott Harrison had, but that did not stop him from changing lives. The idea was simple and it still is: To provide clean water to people in developing nations.

It all started 3 years ago with Scott’s 31st birthday party in New York. He asked all his friends to donate $20 to building wells in needy countries instead of buying him presents.

With that, 6 wells in Uganda were built, and charity: water started.

Since then, it has funded over 1,300 projects in 14 countries, serving 740,000 people.

Help from friends on social media

This very second, people are sacrificing their birthday gifts, their time and sweat to bring what we take for granted to the people we didn’t even know exist.

Can you imagine drinking water from a puddle of muddy water?

Some people would curse and swear just by stepping into it. But how do we bring the reality there to the comforts of our home? Social media is great for letting us see, hear and read what’s happening outside our comfort zone. We can share videos, pictures and true stories with a click of a button and gather more people to help. It’s about how users are able to generate their own content to make a difference.

Charity: water places a lot of emphasis on social media to spread the cause. With the help of friends online, the project is able to progress further and faster. It will not stop until everyone on this planet has clean water to drink.

So, how many social media sites are being used?

Besides Twitter and Facebook, charity: water has created presence on (left to right) Vimeo, YouTube, MySpace, Tumblr, changents, Causecast, Virb, SocialVibe and Think MTV.

The point is not about quantity, but about how each social site is regularly updated with fresh content that record the impact we made on people’s lives.

Transparency is key. Charity: water gives 100% of the money raised to fund projects that create bring sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need.

Watching those videos would give you the assurance that your money donated is well worth it. In charity: water, it’s not just talk, actions are being captured and broadcasted so that you can see the lives of people you helped getting transformed.

From the moment you donate, you are part of the whole process of saving lives.

Making a Difference, Droplet by Droplet

There are 1 billion people on this very planet we share who don’t have access to safe drinking water. That’s one in six of us, and they need our help.

Most of us have never been thirsty for more than 12 hours. We never had to leave our houses and walk 5 miles to fetch water. We simply turn on the tap, and water comes out clean.

For $20, one person can enjoy clean, safe drinking water for 20 years. Watch this.

Regardless if it’s through monetary, time or word of mouth contributions, you can MAKE A DIFFERENCE.