Water Isn’t Everywhere: My Birthday Present

As dancers, you probably hear it often – how important water is to your body and how to avoid dehydration. It you are like me, you take the water that comes from your faucet, your shower head, your refrigerator, or from your local grocery store for granted. Clean water is “everywhere.”

If you are an average American, you are using 150 gallons of water every day. That’s just you. Per day.

One billion people around the world are not so lucky. In fact, 3800 children die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities. They don’t have even 5 gallons to use each day. Water is a luxury in these lands.

Imagine if you or your children couldn’t go to school or work because you had to walk each day to gather water and doing so meant you might stand in line for hours waiting to carry a 40 pound canister on your back for the return trip. And not clean water, either. Swamp water or a muddy hole or a puddle on the ground (one that you share with cows and other animals).

Speaking of schools. Half of the world’s schools don’t have clean water or toilets.

What happens without clean water? Dehydration is nothing. We are talking disease and death.

Watch this compelling presentation by Scott Harrison.

It details much of the above but don’t just read it.

See it. See the quality of the water. See the level of disease we are talking about.

I promise that this particular video is not gratuitous when it comes to showing images of children affected by disease. There’s no need, the conditions speak for themselves.

For more video evidence, check Scott’s charity: water channel on YouTube.

Why am I stepping away from dance to bring this post to you today?

Well, a few things aligned.

1. Today is Blog Action Day 2010. The issue for which blogs are being used to spread awareness: WATER
2. Water is an issue I was excited to see on the list this year. For the last 10 years I have been interested in and concerned about the water problem Africa in particular faces and have donated to several charities, including the African Well Fund. One well can change the lives of so many. I’ve seen evidence of this.
3. I became aware of Scott Harrison’s charity: water which builds wells for communities around the world. They make it easy for people to set up a collection campaign, particularly for birthdays, asking for donations.

   ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the donations received go directly to building water retrieval and sometimes filtration systems for communities and they offer proof of exactly where these donations go.

4. In a few days I am turning 33 and would like to “donate” my birthday and my presence online, and ask for your donations. Go to my charity:water donation page by clicking on the button:

Make it your birthday gift to me

…or a gift to yourself

…or a gift to the world.

$3, $33, $333…

Every dollar matters and every dollar goes directly to bringing life-saving, life-giving WATER to the millions without it. I appreciate any amount you can give.

• If you can spare the amount you’d spend on a bottle of water today. Thank you.
• If you can spare the amount you’d spend on two or three dance classes. Thank you.
• If you can spare the amount you’d spend on a fancy meal out. Thank you.
• If you can spare the amount you’d spend on one month of rent. Thank you.

Just $20 can give one person water for 20 years.

I am trying to raise $1000 in the next two months. $1000 can bring water to 50 people.

If I could do it by my birthday that would be amazing. So even if you cannot donate today, please use the sharing options on the page to spread the word that this is an easy way to donate.

Here is the link again: mycharitywater.org/nichelledances

If you donate, post a comment here on the blog.

Leave a name or a link or a twitter handle or a facebook page. I want to thank you personally if you’ll allow me.

Thank you for letting me step away from dance for today.