Charity Water
The Beauty of a Simplistic and Transparent Charity
What is Charity Water?
If you haven’t heard of Charity Water before, let me do my best to quickly breakdown some of the key aspects that define this wonderful charity, and their main goal of bringing clean water to the world. First, let me explain what makes Charity Water different.
100% goes to the field
Scott (Charity Water’s founder) understands what makes people skeptical when it comes to charities. As a result of the understood skepticism, Charity Water decided they were going to have two separate bank accounts. One that would be for donations for the goal of providing clean water to the world. The other would be for the overhead: “from staff salaries to basic office systems to office rent and supplies”. Charity Water strives to be so open when it comes to their model, they've literally had their 100% model audited.
Proof in the Pudding
The passion for clarity within Charity Water extends to proving their projects. After they’ve received the donations, they send 100% of the money donated to the field, and when the projects are completed, proof is provided. After the completion there is always photo and GPS proof.
The coolest aspect of what Charity Water does is the reports after a projects completion. Below is an example of a project completion report:
The effort from those at Charity Water to be open and transparent about the finances and projects make it an absolutely wonderful charity. The ability to see where your donation goes, and what it does, no matter the size, is an incredible part of Charity Water’s transparent culture. The openness of the charity allows for the main focus to be on the problem the charity attempts to solve. In this case, the problem is the amount of people in the world without accessibility to clean water.
As Charity Water’s 10 year anniversary comes and goes one constant has remained throughout all 10 years: the desire to bring clean water to the world. As Scott Harrison, CEO of Charity Water, celebrates the anniversary, we’re reminded there is still work to do in their anniversary video:
The need for celebration of the past 10 years is important, but what Charity Water does so well is balance their past successes with the weight of what must be done moving forward.
Why Water
“Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war”. The jaw dropping number is that 663 million people in the world live without clean water. Clean water changes more in people’s lives than just allowing for healthier drinking.
Clean water means that women who spend 40 billion hours a week, in Africa, walking to find water. Giving a community access to water means that women, who’re responsible for 72% of the water collected in Sub-Saharan Africa, get their lives back. This means that little girls and women get to go to school, start businesses, spend time improving their household, spend time with family, and whatever else they can do to improve and enjoy their lives. The implications of clean water includes that girls will actually get to spend time in school instead of walking to find water.
“Less time collecting water means more time in class. Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay home for a week out of every month.”
Access to clean water doesn’t just mean the prevention of so many deaths, it means a complete lifestyle change for all of those who now have access to clean water. Charity Water goes about making those changes by working with experts locally. Creating a sustainable solution means establishing community members in key positions, a local water committee as they refer to it. That way water can continue flowing for years.
Being Apart of the Solution
People really enjoy feeling like they’re apart of something. Charity Water understands that, and their platform gives people the ability to donate in multiple ways. The platform also allows for the individual donating to receive periodic updates on how their money is apart of the solution to bring clean water to more and more people.
There are many different ways to be apart of the solution with Charity Water. One of the easiest ways is a simple one-time or recurring donation. The other is some sort of fundraising: whether it’s a lemonade stand, biking across the country, shaving your head, or anything else. One of the most popular methods Charity Water features is pledging your birthday.
Pledging your birthday became a phenomenon when nine-year-old Rachel Beckwith decided she was going to give her birthday up so others would have access to clean water.
Shortly after her Charity Water birthday pledge Rachel was killed in a car accident near Seattle, Washington. Rachel’s campaign went viral, raising over $1.2 million for clean water in Rachel’s honor. As a result of Rachel’s gift, Charity Water reports that 37,770 people now have the clean water they need. A year after the accident, Rachel’s mom and grandparents visited Ethiopia to see some of the people who now had access to clean water as a result of Rachel’s gift.
Charity Water really is an amazing organization. The mission is simple, there are still 663 million people in the world that live without clean water. Clean water means so much more than a cool drink. It means eliminating a major source of diseases. No more disease ridden water means less death.
Clean water also means more opportunities for women and kids. It means more time spent in the classroom as opposed to walking all day for water. For every $1 invested in clean water, there is a possibility of a $4–$12 economic return. The investment in clean water is an incredibly powerful tool for both human welfare, but also for incredible economic growth.
Charity Water is an amazing organization with a fantastic goal. I’ve loved giving to such a simplistic and transparent charity. I trust them and love being apart of such an amazing plan. They believe that the water crisis is a solvable one, and I do too. If you’re interested in either learning more about Charity Water or donating, their website is here.
