Charity:Water

Week 12 Charity:Water

“For people in developing countries, clean water can change everything. Most of us have never really been thirsty. We’ve never had to leave our houses and walk five miles to fetch water. We simply turn on the tap, and water comes out. Clean.”
— Charity:Water

There are 663 million people on the planet who don’t have clean water. That’s nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide! The majority live in rural areas and need to spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. When they do get to a water source, often it is dirty and filled with disease-causing microbes. On top of that, walking for water is a huge opportunity cost and means that sometimes kids don't get to go to school or that parents lose valuable time that could be used to earn money.

Access to clean water means education, income and health - especially for women and kids. Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. We can do something about this.

Charity:Water works with local experts and community members to find the best sustainable solution in each place where they work. With every water point they fund, their partners coordinate sanitation and hygiene training, and establish a local Water Committee to make each project sustainable.

Charity:Water first came on my radar years ago with their 100% model. Every penny of your donation funds water projects and they fund raise for overhead through separate channels. They prove each project through GPS and reports. They're transparency, efficiency, and enthusiasm towards a world where everyone has access to clean water is inspiring.

Can you believe we have been giving every week for 12 weeks already?! WOW.

You are beyond awesome.

I hope your 2017 is has been an excellent year so far.

All the best to you and yours,
Jodi

Khata Life

Week 11: Khata Life

Welcome back to another week of GIVE52. This week’s organization, Khata Life, was started by my amazing friend Michelle Welsch. At the core of their work is a desire to support personal initiative and sustainability within the Kaski community in Nepal. It is my pleasure today to tell you about Michelle and Khata Life.

The story began when, in a bold move, Michelle quit everything and moved to Nepal. After working as a volunteer teacher in a monastery, she founded Khata Life. By working with local partners and focusing on community, Khata Life encourages leadership and education in Nepal. Projects focus on two main areas: education and leadership within Pokhara.

Michelle runs Learning House to encourage education and community, has installed a solar system to provide reliable electricity for the Matepani community, hosts career seminars connecting local leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs, and runs a dental clinic.

She says that in the beginning she started small “with projects at Matepani Gumba: buying books, hiring an English teacher, getting clothes donated…then the solar project, organizing field trips and health camps …and now the Learning House.”

Michelle and I first met when she worked with Seth Godin to host a summer internship. Since then, we have traveled to Kenya together and have cheered each other on with every new project. It has been inspiring to watch her turn her ideas for supporting an incredible community into reality and I continue to be in awe of her tenacity, bravery, and relentless optimism.

Michelle had the guts to quit a life she liked in favor of one she loves.

In her own words:
“I’m so very thankful I’ve had the guts to step into the doorway of chance and risk and opportunity (and disappointment and failure). Instead of letting confusion and anxiety get the best of me, I’ve clawed my way to make decisions that tackle my fears head on.

As a result, I’ve been able to create a life I often have to laugh and smile at, “This is real! This is my life!” I have moments that feel so surreal, so dreamlike.

I’m not the richest person, but I’m doing work I love with people I adore and I think I’m helping others achieve their dreams. That seems like gold to me.”

Here’s to a life you love.
Make this week a wonderful one,
Jodi

 

First Book

Week 10: First Book


My mom saved the first books she read to me. She inscribed my name in each front cover along with the date she read the story to me for the first time. I am so lucky she kept these treasures because now I’m able to read them to my own little guy and add his name.

This week, I chose First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to children in need. I would love to donate to them in the hopes that other parents can experience the joy of reading to their little ones.

 

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” - Dr. Seuss

Since their founding, First Book has distributed more than 150 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families.

First Book makes new books and other educational resources available for free and at deeply reduced prices - exclusively to educators and community program leaders who serve kids in need.

They support the largest and fastest growing network of educators and program leaders serving children in need. In partnership with these heroic educators and other organizations, First Book transforms lives by improving access to equal, quality education for all kids. From books to backpacks, technology to toothpaste, First Book delivers critical tools for learning and life.

Here's to a new generation of readers,

Jodi