● Who We Are and What We Do:
Dollar for a Drink is an official 501-(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to provide fresh water to thousands of needy individuals in Darfur, Sudan, Africa. We are partnering with Baptist Global Response, a humanitarian relief organization similar to World Vision and Samaritan's Purse, to get these wells installed. Dollar for a Drink is an "ignition" operation, in that we raise the money for the wells and then BGR installs them. To download an endorsement letter from Mr. Jeff Palmer, Executive Director of BGR to the Dollar for a Drink organization, click here.
For Fundraising, we are working through Network for Good, and online fundraising organization for non-profits. 100% of donations will be spent towards the building of wells in Sudan. As clarification, this 100% comes from the amount after a donation transaction fee, which is charged by the Network for Good organization for the use of their services. The transaction fee is 3%. In other words, if you give $1.00, then only .97 cents will go to the building of a well. However, there is an option on the donation page to give an extra 3% to cover the transaction fee so that an entire dollar goes to the building of a well.
The concept is simple: we are asking people to give up one drink (such as a bottle of water or a soda) one day and instead give that dollar for the DfaD organization to help build wells in Sudan. Give up one drink, give one dollar, help build a well in Sudan!
● Who Operates the Project:
The Dollar for a Drink Project started out as a scary big idea for a certain 16 year-old back in the beginning of the summer of 2008. Since then, the project has grown into more than that teen could ever imagine. Dollar for a Drink is directed and run by one Joshua Guthrie. For more info on Joshua, click here.
● Why We Have Chosen Sudan:
Simply put, Sudan is a very, very needy area, with approximately 10 million people without adequate access to clean water. While it is not the only country with water needs, or even the country with the largest number of needy people, it is indeed needy. I (Joshua Guthrie) have also simply felt the Lord place Sudan on my heart, and thus that is where I am focussing my fundraising. It may be more costly than other areas, but the blessing of water needs to go everywhere, regardless of the price.
● A Summary of 2008:
The DfaD project was launched on October 1st, 2008, and the goal at the time was to raise $8,000 (the price of one well in Sudan) by Christmas of the same year.
Our promotion outreach was based both locally, nationally, and on the internet. Locally, we were able to promote the project in several schools via the FCA, we showcased the project in the local newspaper (the Jackson Sun) and we were also able to get on a local Christian radio program. Nationally, our main outreach was based in other schools in which other teens had taken up the project. On the internet the project was showcased mainly on blogs and several large Christian websites, such as Baptist Press. One of the largest blogs we were able to get a spot in was Alex and Brett Harris' TheRebelution.com. This was huge, as it is the largest Christian teen blog out there, and it reaches many individuals and families. It was through this website which many other teens took the project to their schools, and the Harris brothers even decided to match other Rebelutionaries' donations up to $1,000! This amount was quickly and easily reached within a week.
All told, by the time Christmas arrived, Dollar for a Drink had raised $10,000, and when the time came to write BGR the check in February 2009, the amount had grown to $11,200! The well was installed in March of 2009, and is now servicing 6,000 individuals who, prior to the well's installation, had to walk 4-6 hours one way just to get to contaminated water! Click here for a picture of the well! Also, you can read the Baptist Press news article by clicking HERE if you like.
Just as clarification, the additional funds ($3,000+) left over from 2008 rolled over into the 2009 project.