Last year - thanks to your incredible generosity - we raised over $84,000 to help fund fresh water projects in developing countries.

This past July, my family and I traveled to Ethiopia to see some of the wells, and to meet some of the thousands of people whose lives are directly affected by my campaign.

This trip changed our lives forever. We met villagers who had recently gotten a new well (paid for by our campaign), and we visited villages without access to water - under consideration for a well. The difference is staggering, heart wrenching, and emotionally overwhelming. It is not an exaggeration to say that "WATER CHANGES EVERYTHING," and so I am coming "back to the well" and asking you again this year to please support my campaign to raise money and save more lives.

Once again, for my 51st birthday, instead of asking for gifts or having a big party, I'm asking for $51 or more from everyone I know. This time around, your gifts will be earmarked to benefit the Bayaka people of the Central African Republic, who have almost no access to clean drinking water.

A billion people in the world are living without clean water - but how much are they really living? Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water. 45,000 people will die this week alone. The lucky ones won't, but still walk hours each day to get dirty water to give to their families.

My birthday wish this year is not for gifts I don't need; it's to give clean and safe drinking water to the Bayaka. I want to make my birthday matter once again this year.

please note: Because of charity: water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to direct water projects costs, and each donation is "proved" and tracked to the village it helped when projects are complete.