Welcome to Dollar for a Drink—we're so glad you stopped by!
But what is this all about? The page you're on is divided in three sections:
The Facts on the water crisis, the Concept behind DfaD, and the Goal of DfaD
Click on the links above to skip straight to these sections or dive right in!
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We live in an age of fantastic technological advancement: we've got cell phones to call folks on the other side of the globe, computers that can crunch gigabytes of information every second, and we've got more information at our fingertips in the internet than we know what to do with. But, did you know that as you read this little paragraph, a child will die due to a water-related disease? In fact, nearly 5,000 children will die today thanks to inadequate water sources. Read on for more information on this epidemic and to find out what you can do to help!
The Global Water Crisis. . . .
❖ Approximately every 18 seconds, a child dies due to water related diseases — that's about 4,900 deaths per day and 1.8 million every single year. This is the equivalent of eleven Boeing 747 airplanes crashing and killing all passengers every day.
❖ Infectious waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera are responsible for 80% of illnesses and deaths in the developing world, many of them children.
❖ Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles (5.95 Kilometers) to get water every day.
❖ 660 million people live on less than US $2 a day, without access to a clean water source. Some 385 million of them live in absolute poverty on less than US $1 a day. . .
The Wealth of Resources around the World. . . .
❖ 20 Liters, or just over 5 gallons, is the minimum amount of water needed for a human being to stay healthy. However, the average American uses about 100 gallons (378.5 Liters) per day — the world's poorest live on less than 5 gallons.
❖ Every day, we soak in thousands and thousands of "virtual" gallons of water — that is, the amount of water it takes to produce a product. One pound of bananas takes 103 gallons, a pound of processed cheese requires 589 gallons, a hamburger slurps up 634 gallons, and a whopping 1,857 gallons is needed to produce a single pound of beef! Oh, and those jeans you're wearing? 2,900 gallons.
❖ More than 50% of Americans drink bottled water occasionally or as their major source of drinking water—an astounding fact given the high quality and low cost of U.S. tap water.
❖ Bottled water can cost two thousand times more per cubic meter than high-quality municipal tap water. Can you imagine buying a $3,000 burger at McDonald's? Or what about a $1,000 candy bar? Thought not.
❖ Globally, it is estimated that people spend approximately $100 billion dollars on bottled water per year....
And the estimated cost to alleviate the global water crisis? $10 billion.
Yep—just 10% of what we spend on bottled water (and 2% what we spend on Christmas, incidentally)
All these facts and stats aren't meant to send you on a guilt trip, but rather ask the question:
What would happen if we re-directed some of this excess to needs around the world?
Lives would be changed. Like, really changed. Both for them, and for us!
If you wish, you can donate your dollar now by clicking the link to the right,
or
read on to learn more about the concept behind DfaD and our Year III goal!
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The concept behind Dollar for a Drink is really very simple:
We're trying to get as many people as possible to give
one dollar
to help deliver fresh water to the people of Africa.
It's so simple, anyone can join in! It's simple for a reason: I want everyone to be able to do something to help. However, don't think it's so simple that your dollar won't help! Every single dollar counts, and it's only in collaboration that we can make a difference. A single drop of water in a bucket won't make that much of a difference, but what if there were thousands of drops in the bucket? "You'd have a bucketfull!"
In addition, it is my dream and passion to get as many teens involved in this project as I can. I want to challenge my generation to rise up, overcome the low expectations our culture has for us, and make a difference in the world. Don't EVER think that you are too young to make a difference! You CAN make a difference if you will only step forward and take action.
It would be awesome if you could help me spread the word in addition to donating. This could be simple as telling your friends on Facebook or putting up a few posters around your church or school! I challenge you to step out and spread the word! Please visit the "Get Involved" page for more info.
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Over the past two years, Dollar for a Drink has held a fundraising "period" during the last third of the year (i.e. from Sept. 1st — December 31st) I did it this way so that teens could take the project to their schools during the Fall semester, and it gave the project a distinct objective. This year (2011), however, the period has shifted to February 1st through December 31st, and we've upped the goal (as usual!)
That said, here's DfaD's new goal for Year III:
My objective is to get two more wells in Sudan plus 9 wells in Mozambique, Africa, a country which Dollar for a Drink has not worked in yet. The 480 in-house filtration systems will be built in and delivered to the residents of Kenya, yet another needy country in Africa. The wells, due to inflated military conflict and war, are an average of $10,000 in Sudan. Steep, I know, but money is no object in light of saving the lives of the needy. The filtration systems cost approximately $25 apiece and will each serve an entire family.
What will YOU do to save lives today?!
